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Monday of the Twentieth Week of Ordinary Time
Today’s readings Today’s readings remind us of the danger of holding on to things that have no permanence. The rich young man in today’s gospel reading discovers that following the rules is only just a good start; to really gain heaven you must be willing to let go of the fading riches of this world. …
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The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today’s readings In every age of the world, people have needed hope. Because in every age of the world, there has been unbelievable hardship. There has always been war, and disease, and poverty, and oppression, and alienation, and all the rest. There has always been sin, and broken relationships, and impure desires and that feeling…
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St. Maximilian Kolbe, priest and martyr
Today’s readings Maximilian Kolbe became a Franciscan novice at the age of 16. Earlier in life he had a vision of the Blessed Virgin offering him two crowns, a white one of purity, and a red one of martyrdom. Maximilian said “I choose both.” The Blessed Virgin smiled and departed from him. Maximilian devoted his…
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Friday of the Nineteenth Week of Ordinary Time
Today’s readings God never forgets how much he loves us. If this weren’t so, I don’t think any of us would be in existence. God loves us into life and loves us through our life and one day, if we let him, will love us into eternal life. The people of Israel had to know…
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Thursday of the Nineteenth Week of Ordinary Time
Today’s readings One of the greatest sins there is, I think, is the sin of not letting go. And, if we’re honest, I think we all do it, all the time. I know I do. Whether it’s an long-standing argument with a loved one, or a touch of road rage, or demanding what we think…
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Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week of Ordinary Time
Today’s readings The Catholic notion of salvation is not a private thing; it’s not just “me and Jesus.” We are to come together to salvation because that is God’s will: that all be saved. Today’s Scriptures speak of conciliation, repentance, and the responsibility of the Church to lead people to reconciliation with God and community. …
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St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
Today’s readings We are called upon to be good citizens, to pay our taxes, as today’s Gospel portrays. But good citizenship doesn’t mean giving in to everything that comes our way. We have to be people who pursue the truth, no matter where it leads us. A case in point is the life of Today’s…
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The Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Today’s readings I had supper with a friend this week. During the course of our conversation over dinner, he explained his conviction that most people, perhaps even some people who come to Mass every Sunday, don’t really have faith anymore. He thinks our society has lost the conviction that our faith is radical, real, and…
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The Transfiguration of the Lord
Today’s readings How do you picture Jesus? We’ve never seen him face to face, but we have seen artwork depicting him. That artwork can be very inspiring. But that artwork can also give us a false, overly-familiar look at Jesus our God. I tend to think Peter, James and John also had a kind of…
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Thursday of the Eighteenth Week of Ordinary Time
Today’s readings In the ancient Hebrew, the word we have for righteousness and justice is sedeq, which most literally means right order. The idea is that when things are as they were intended to be by God, then the poor will be taken care of, nobody’s rights will be trampled on, and God’s grace will…
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