Monday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
In the Sound of Music, Maria (Julie Andrews) sang of her favorite things– raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, and the like. What are our “favorite things” as Catholics? Popular culture, whether justified or unjustified, is quick to assign us the following “favorites” (as they perceive us): superficiality, hypocrisy, and self-righteousness.
Friday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
On this day 11 years ago, I like to think that LeeAnn and I made an investment in heavenly treasure, something that “neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.” (Mt 6:20) Our anniversary today is a beautiful opportunity for me to reflect on the words of Christ in our gospel. What is it that I cherish? Where do I place the greatest value in my life? What is my most precious treasure? As I sit here and look around me, I see stuff, lots of things, possessions, wants, just stuff. Sure, there is value and meaning to several items. The table I’m working from came from LeeAnn’s grandparents and the mug of water in front of me says Best Dad Ever (you can guess where that came from). I enjoy the connections to these items; but in the grand scheme of things, it’s all just stuff–treasures on earth.
Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
When I was about 16 or so a youth pastor put a question to me. It was in the context of a very odd alter call. I didn’t know what an alter call was at the time, having grown up “unchurched.” He asked me and about a hundred other youth sitting on folding chairs in the gym at the Palatine (exurb of Chicago) YMCA if Jesus had come to me.
Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious
Welcome to Lent, everyone! Wait a minute, what?! Today is the Wednesday of the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time, and yet I invite us to consider today a reminder of how we are to live year-round. The Gospel calls us to practice the Lenten disciplines always, not only during the season of Lent. Let us approach our scripture readings in humility, asking God for the graces to be faithful and generous disciples after the example of Christ.
Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
In today's Gospel reading from the Gospel of Matthew we encounter one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult, sayings of Jesus: "Love your enemies" (Matthew 5:44). Loving your enemies is an important part of what it means to be Christian, but it is very difficult.
Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Whenever my grandmother would get exacerbated with us she would say in her thick Scots brogue, “I’ll give ye the back-o-me-hand.” Although she never did, as a kid I never appreciated how dire a statement that was.
Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Fr. Gregory Boyle’s book Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion was first published in 2010. Maybe you’ve heard of it, even read it. I recall reading it with one of my sons in their adolescence. Drawing on experiences with the gang-intervention program (Homeboy Industries) that he founded in Los Angeles, Fr. Boyle crafted the real-life stories of God’s grace and mercy touching and softening the seemingly hardest of hearts. It quickly became a New York Times bestseller.
Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
We all know that anger can kill relationships and seriously wound people, including the person holding the anger. It is a human emotion that can be very destructive. In today’s gospel passage (Matthew 5: 20-26), we read that Jesus is instructing his disciples about anger. They know the command/law “you shall not kill” and now Jesus adds to that, “But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment….” He goes deeper into the heart where anger lies. Jesus wants more from his disciples than simply obeying laws and commands. He is challenging us to transform our hearts, our very lives.
Wednesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” Later in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus explains what he means by this fulfillment. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matt. 22:37-40). Today’s text ends with a summons to obey and teach God’s commandments. Let us pray for the grace to more fully surrender our lives to the Father’s will that we might live lives ordered by the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Today’s first reading seemed a little confusing to me. I had to use my imagination a bit, asking, ‘what were they complaining about? The yes, the no, or that there seemed to be a bunch of yes’s and no’s?’ I can’t say for sure what Paul and the Corinthian Church were talking about, but maybe they were frustrated with the burdens of a faith in conflict with the larger culture. Romans sacrificed animals to their gods at lavish festivals, had all sorts of sinful sexual habits, and worked seven days a week because they didn’t have a Sabbath. To them, Christians must have looked like lazy people who can’t do anything fun.
Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
According to Acts of the Apostles, Paul founded the church at Corinth and stayed there 18 months (Acts 18:1-18). When divisions arose after his departure, he sent his beloved Timothy and followed that up with what we call I Corinthians.
Saturday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Several years ago, I spoke with a co-worker about tithing. While I was coming from a Catholic background she was coming from a non-denominational one. I didn’t know the statistics for how much the average Catholic gives or if the Church had an official recommendation for tithing. My understandings were rudimentary at best. When she shared her experiencing of tithing I was floored.
Friday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
We are blessed today with lots of rejoicing in Tobit and the psalm. After so much loss, Tobit finally gets to rejoice; “The Lord God had granted [Tobiah] a successful journey; he had brought back the money; and that he had married Raguel's daughter Sarah” (Tb 11:15), not to mention that Tobiah restored his sight! Tobit then expresses a beautiful hymn of praise, “Blessed be God and praise be his great name, and blessed be all his holy angels!” (14) The joyful noise continues into our psalm for today (one of my favorites), “Praise the Lord, my Soul!” (Ps 146:1b)
Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
The other day, as Bill and I were returning from a lovely but also exhausting week-long trip, we passed through Xenia. We were, to say the least, wiped out and ready to be home.
Wednesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
So often throughout the Gospels, Jesus’ opponents seek to trap him in his teaching. The religious leaders try to ensnare him by his own words in order to silence and even to overthrow him. Confronted with Truth himself, fear and insecurity prevent them from surrendering to him. These religious ones demonstrate not only their ignorance but also their lack of faith and trust in the God whom they profess to follow. In today’s Gospel, the Sadducees present a scenario about marriage as the basis for their trap. Ironically, they fail to recognize the Bridegroom who stands in front of them. Today, may our hearts burn within us with desire for our Bridegroom and may we set our sights on the Marriage Feast that awaits us in glory.
Tuesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
I am sure at one time or another you have heard about the terms "false piety." There are many ways to explain what it means but one way to understand it is to say that false piety is when one's religious practices and life to not blend. It is when faith and life do not form a harmonious whole. Another words for "false piety" is hypocrisy. False piety or hypocrisy can be counter-productive. It can put off people around us. It can even drive people away from God and faith.
Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr
In the culture of ancient Israel, a father was obligated to circumcise, teach Torah to, acquire a wife for, and pass on a craft to his sons. This was even a greater priority when it came to an only son.
Friday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Do you ever think about Jesus being hungry? I tend to think of Jesus tending to others’ needs, like the feeding of the five thousand, or allowing his disciples to eat the grain in the fields when they were hungry on the Sabbath. Today’s gospel from Mark includes the very familiar passage referred to as The Cleansing of the Temple that speaks of Jesus’ anger, but there’s also this somewhat strange story about Jesus being hungry that stood out to me today.
Memorial of Saint Justin, Martyr
We are so used to seeing the many things and people around us, that we often take them for granted. After all, how many of us wake up and greet the world with amazement, as though we are surprised by what we see? Perhaps, hopefully, there are some. But many of us no doubt groggily roll over only to slump out of bed to our familiar surroundings, so that we may begin our regular routine of coffee, breakfast, showering, teeth-brushing, dressing, etc.
Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today is the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We celebrate Mary’s visit to Elizabeth and join our voices with Mary’s Magnificat. I invite us to approach this day in profound humility and deep faith, asking our Mother to lead us to her Son that we might become more like Him. May we have the audacious faith today to believe that our Mother desires to draw close to us, to visit us, even us.