31st Tuesday in Ordinary Time
From today’s Scripture: “A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come, everything is now ready.’ But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.”—Lk 14:17–18 In the United States, Thanksgiving is one of our […]
St. Charles Borromeo
From today’s Scripture: “Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”—Lk 14:13-14 In Jesus’ time and culture, much like today, banquets were opportunities for hosts […]
31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
From today’s Scripture: “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.”—Dt 6:4-6 This Scripture passage is likely well-known to […]
All Souls Day
From today’s Scripture: “Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love: Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with the elect.”—Wis 3:9 Today is the Feast of All Souls, the commemoration of all the faithful departed. A few weeks back […]
All Saints Day
From today’s Scripture: “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”—Mt 5:12 A sign in my office reads: “We will go before God to be judged and he’ll ask: ‘Where are your wounds?’ And we will say, ‘We have no wounds.’ And God will ask, ‘Was nothing worth fighting for?’” Today’s […]
30th Thursday in Ordinary Time
From today’s Scripture: “Go and tell that fox…I [will] accomplish my purpose.” —Lk 13:32 I don’t know how you feel, but when I see people acting courageously, I am in awe. Soldiers risk their lives for the defenseless, first-responders caring for the injured, firefighters rushing into the fire, citizens standing up to tyranny and injustice: […]
30th Wednesday in Ordinary Time
From today’s Scripture: “Depart from me…”—Lk 13:27 Ouch! Jesus’ words in the Gospel today are tough to hear. Christ is very clear: Not everyone who thinks they are living the Christian life is actually doing so. I don’t know about you, but, for me, these are tough words to hear. Of course, maybe they should […]
30th Tuesday in Ordinary Time
From today’s Scripture: “[The Kingdom of God] is like a mustard seed.”—Lk 13:19 I really don’t like watching network news. Part of my struggle is that, after watching, I feel so overwhelmed. With so much pain and suffering in the world, I feel paralyzed in my ability to respond. But Jesus gives us a helpful […]
Sts. Simon & Jude
From today’s Scripture: “He called his disciples…”—Lk 6:13 One thing I learned early on in my priesthood was how popular today’s saint, St. Jude, is for many people, especially for mothers. Why might this be the case? St. Jude is known as the patron of lost causes. Many of the mothers I talk to have […]
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
From today’s Scripture: “So they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.’ He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.”—Mk 10:49-50 In today’s Gospel, I am struck by the blind man’s response to Jesus. Bartimaeus doggedly calls out to Jesus. When Jesus stops and […]
