General

When I came up this hill at the ripe old age of 18 to give my life to God as I understood what that meant at the time, we had a very different scene around here. We all dressed alike…

Luke 13: 22-30 Today’s readings are hard ones — I found them both uncomfortable and challenging. Jesus sounds distant, harsh even, hardly projecting mercy or compassion. Or projecting a welcoming and open kingdom of God. He talks about the narrow…

When I first read this Gospel it was perplexing. When Jesus says “I have come to set the earth on fire” I am reminded of the raging fires in the West and in Europe, and it is hard to attribute…

Wisdom 18:6-9 Hebrews 11-12 Luke 12:32-48 In today’s Gospel, Luke’s audience is concerned about how they will provide for themselves for the long haul, about whether or not the claims of the Kingdom are more important than their daily demands, and…

Ecclesiastes 1:2, 2:21-21; Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11; Luke 12:13:21 Vanities of vanities!  All things are vanity!  I remember Carroll Stuhlmueller saying that line.  It was when we were in the novitiate — Judy, Jeanne, Mary Ann McGivern, Anndavid, Barbara Nicholas, I…

Genesis 18:20-32  Colossians 2:12-14 Luke 11:1-13 Today’s readings are very familiar, and each is rich in multiple meanings and deep, compassionate reassurance. The most familiar reading, of course, is the Gospel, which introduces the prayer Jesus taught his disciples, a…

Recently, on CNN, I watched an interview with a man named Aaron Stark, who said that when he was in his late teens he could very easily become a mass murderer. In fact, he was ready to do something terrible.…

We see the long pattern of human behavior and the even longer pattern of God’s invitation in today’s readings. Starting with the Book of Deuteronomy, which was written 700 years before Jesus became human, Moses reminds the people to listen…

Last Sunday and now this Sunday we have been reading from chapters 9 and 10 of Luke’s Gospel.  Jesus is aware that his days are numbered. He is heading toward Jerusalem with all that implies about meeting up with the…

Today, as we try to adjust to the ongoing presence of Covid, there are many uncertainties. One thing, however, seems to be abundantly clear: People are ready to move on — go somewhere — take a trip — in spite…

The tradition of the Church has always made this day of Corpus Christi a solemn and beautiful feast honoring and celebrating the gift of the Eucharist. It’s a call to memory for many.  Processions with the Eucharist. Beauty, solemnity. Music.…

This Sunday is known as Trinity Sunday. I have a confession to make. It makes no difference to me whether God is manifested as creator, as Jesus incarnate or as the Holy Spirit. The notion of trinity isn’t a big…