General

In the second reading we have a strong reminder that things have changed with the coming of Jesus in human form. We are told “… the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. And all this is…

I like the Samaritan woman. And I like Jesus as she encountered him.  I like Jesus’ interactions with the women of the Gospels. They reveal Jesus as very human, deeply compassionate, modified by others. Have you ever asked yourself what…

Genesis 15:5-18      Philippians 3:20-4:1      Luke 9:28b-36 In these days of war and mounting danger, I find it difficult to know how to pray, for whom and for what.  Probably most people turn to the Scriptures or…

Luke 4:1-13 Today’s Gospel begins where the Gospel from several weeks ago ended.  Back in January we celebrated the feast of Jesus’ baptism. The Holy Spirit had descended upon him, looking like a dove.  A voice from heaven had said, “You…

Have you ever wondered what purpose a giraffe serves in this life? Do they enhance nature? Can they be domesticated? They can’t carry a burden; It would slide right off of their slanted backs. They can’t pull a wagon walking…

Today we are a week and a few days away from Ash Wednesday.  Lent begins. As I looked back on the Sunday Gospel events it has been a quick history of the public life of Jesus. This might be a good…

Human history reveals many periods where people lost a sense of God’s transcendence.  It may even be argued that human beings have been wandering and lost more than they have been settled and focused.  Human nature being what it is,…

When I first read the readings for today, I thought I had made a mistake. I double checked and then looked back to find that the first reading today was also the first reading at the Christmas Vigil Mass on…

Imagine what this day in Jesus’ life must have been for him.  He has just taken part in a purification ritual that John, his cousin, does with the people.  Jesus is one of the crowd. This baptism of John’s is a…

These words from Wendell Berry call to me this Epiphany Sunday: “And we pray, notfor new earth or heaven, but to bequiet in heart, and in eye,clear. What we need is here.” What we need is here…  It sounds so…

Mary, the holy mother of God, or in Greek, “Theotokos.” That title goes back to the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD. Nestorius held that the divine and human natures of Jesus were completely separate and thought the title of…

1 Samuel 1:20–28        1 John 3:1-24        Luke 2:41-52 Yesterday we celebrated Jesus’ “Birth Day,” and today we celebrate his family. Jesus was given to us in a family, given to us as the son of Mary and Joseph, grandson of…