Spiritual Reflections

“Seeing with the Heart” Let me share with you my own personal Good Samaritan story. Some of you are very aware that for the past 20 years or so, my ministry has included being of service to persons experiencing homelessness…

1 Kings 17:10-16     Hebrews 9:24-28     Mark 12:41-44 Widows are the heroines of today’s readings.  That’s an odd reversal of scriptural stereotypes.  Widows are poor and rarely noticed except during days of jubilee, when the righteous are…

The Jewish people had just completed their 40 years of wandering in the desert. Moses has brought them to the promised land. They had time and many opportunities to learn valuable lessons along the way. God has promised them an…

It is helpful to understand today’s Gospel if we remember that Mark was writing his Gospel for the early Christians before their separation from Judaism, which happened after the destruction of the temple. They were struggling to put it all…

Isaiah 53:10-11          Hebrews 4: 14-16          Mark 10-35-45 For the last couple of months of Sunday readings, we have heard Jesus teaching his disciples about his true calling and theirs.  What he teaches…

Mark 10:17-30 or Mark 10:17-27 Hebrews 4:12-13 Wisdom 7:7-11 Today’s Gospel reminds me of one of my favorite stories from John Dominic Crossan, who many of you will remember from some years ago when he and his wife Sarah came…

When I first read the readings for today I wished that I had chosen a different Sunday. As I sat with these readings in these weeks leading up to the launch of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform and went back…

Numbers 11:25-29 James 5:1-6 Mark 9:38 … 48 “Whoever is not against us is for us.”  With these cryptic words, Jesus breaks through the partisan clannishness of his disciples and puts us all on notice that the team of God’s…

When I was still in the classroom many years ago, the children would often ask me as to why Jesus would tell his disciples not to tell anyone after He gave sight to the blind, made the deaf hear or…

Isaiah 50:4-9; Mark 8:27-35 We can imagine the scene we have just heard described.  Jesus and a few others walking along the road, maybe on a day like this, heading off to some villages north of where they are.  This…

“ Here comes your God . . . who comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared.” In recent months, my ears and eyes have been opened to…

Three phrases stand out in today’s readings: From the Old Testament: “For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call on him.” The second reading…