Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time – September 8, 2024 Have you ever been so frightened that your body shuts down? When fear turns to panic, a deafening “woosh” clogs your ears as your pulse pounds, your fists clench, and you … Read More ..read more

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time – September 1, 2024 Jesus calls the Pharisees in today’s Gospel hypocrites. If we read the verses omitted from the Lectionary pericope, we see why. The Pharisees routinely took the commandment to honor one’s father … Read More ..read more

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 25, 2024 If you read the full account of today’s first reading from Joshua, chapter 24, it might make you think of the Easter Vigil. Joshua gathers the Israelites at Shechem, where the … Read More ..read more

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 18, 2024 The restaurant sign read, “We have no Wi-Fi. Talk to one another.” Next time you’re dining out, take a look. Couples gaze at their phones instead of each other. Kids play … Read More ..read more

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – August 15, 2024 The holiness of the human body is central to today’s solemnity. Mary’s assumption “body and soul into heavenly glory” (Pius XII, Munificentissimus Deus) shows us that our earthly bodies are … Read More ..read more

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 11, 2024 “That’s it. I’m done!” I’m sure we’ve all felt like Elijah at some point: exhausted, afraid, tapped out, questioning our choices, catastrophizing the situation, and feeling sorry for ourselves or just … Read More ..read more

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – July 28, 2024 Over five Sundays, we will feast from the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel and on Jesus’s revelation as the living bread from heaven. Even in this comfort food, there is so much to savor. We can bring out the subtle flavors of these “Bread of Life” passages by relishing them with their paired first readings. Today, Jesus feeds 5,000 with five loaves and two fish, while the diners at the prophet Elisha’s own miraculous meal numbered only 100. But these people were truly starving. A famine had made their water undrinkable and their land sterile ..read more

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – July 21, 2024 Today, Jeremiah preaches scathing words against false shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock. After reading that passage, I wanted to send it to a few people with a note: “Woe to you!” But then I’d be a false shepherd myself. Using Scriptures as a weapon against our adversaries or a ramrod to force our point upon another will never end well. The word of God—especially from its prophets—scrutinizes all who hear it and acts like a mirror to turn our accusing finger back toward ourselves. In our zeal to fix whatever we think is wrong in the ..read more

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – June 30, 2024 Prophets gifted with wisdom or age know that true change is a marathon, a long-term, generational commitment to a goal they may never see fulfilled but work toward nonetheless. When the goal is God’s reign, prophetic perseverance also needs a bit of holy detachment as a reminder that transformation is the Spirit’s job. This helps prophets remain joyful when rejected, steadfast when provoked, and hopeful when the effort seems futile. As Saint Teresa of Calcutta said, God didn’t call her to be successful; God called her to be faithful.  No ..read more

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – June 30, 2024 “Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live,” says Jairus to the one at the center of the crowd’s attention. Jesus will take his dead daughter’s hand and restore her to life with a brief saving touch. On the other hand, a woman who for years had endured the groping of many doctors still could not be healed by them. The feel of the crowd pressing in about her was almost as invasive and impersonal. They, too, overlooked her pain although she was right there, close enough to touch. Are we present to those who are hurting ..read more