Topic archive
Spiritual Reflections
These are reflections given by Loretto members at Sunday services.
Reflection on the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Render unto God what is God’s and to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” As a child I remember thinking about God as an old man – a grandfather though I didn’t know any of my grandfathers – with a long beard…
Reflection on the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus tells another parable addressed to the Jewish leaders. He is just weeks away from trial and execution and his contentious relationship with them is getting worse. The details of the story up the…
Reflection on the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
While reading the Gospel several weeks ago, I began to think of the vineyard in the Gospel story as our planet, Earth. The examples of people with true claims to the land being mistreated and killed when they came to…
Reflection on the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ezekiel 18:25-28. Philippians 2:1-11. Matthew 21:28-32 Whether I am reading the Motherhouse bulletin board or the New York Times, listening to CNN or Fox News, I am uncomfortably aware that the last few weeks have been packed with…
Reflection on the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Turn to the Lord for mercy, to our God who is generous. The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. Are you envious because I am generous? This is who God is: generous, merciful, of…
Reflection on the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
The first reading starts off with some very good news from my perspective. It states that “wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. The vengeful will suffer the Lord’s vengeance, for he remembers their sins…
Reflection on the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. In today’s reading I take on faith these guidelines for life in the world today. Faith, that means going forward when you know…
Reflection on the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
In the early 1980s, before joining Loretto, my housemate and I agreed to take in a drug and alcohol addicted 15-year-old who had been on the streets prostituting herself to support her habits. She had run away from her foster…
Reflection on the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jesus asked, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” For once in his life, Peter got it right. Peter is an interesting character study. He is…
Reflection on the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Midrash is expansive exposition, interpretation and explanation of the text. The facts might be a little misremembered, but the teaching is true. That’s what I remember learning in Scripture class. And I remember a Loretto reading of this Gospel. It…
Reflection on the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time
For the past several Sundays, St. Matthew the Evangelist has been weaving the story of Jesus’ ministry as teacher. He has been traveling from town to town publicly giving his sermons and teaching the town’s people through parables. Jesus, at…
Reflection on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord
This has always been a special day for me. I had the privilege of visiting Mount Tabor, the very place where this event took place. It is a fairly high mountain; the bus could not go all the way. We…