Spiritual Reflections

I had such a mixture of feelings when I first read the readings for today. The first reading says “The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not…

Exodus, 2 Timothy, Luke 18 Pray always, we hear today.  Be patient and constant, don’t get weary, keep at it, don’t give up, don’t lose heart.  These commands or urgings…

2 Kings 5:14-17 2 Timothy 2:8-13 Luke 17:11-19 Today’s Gospel builds on the first reading, taking the story 10 steps further.  Where one man in the Hebrew story is cured…

In 1984, when my brother Joe was diagnosed with Gay Men’s Virus, before it was named AIDS and then identified as HIV, before there was any treatment, I prayed. I…

When I first read this parable I thought “Jesus, this parable is a perfect fit for today’s world!” Let’s take a look at the actors in the parable and at…

Always the question: “As I consider the readings in today’s liturgy, what do they say for me now?”  As you know the Encyclical Letter from Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, has…

Exodus 32 1 Timothy 1 Luke 15 This morning’s Gospel tells the story of our confusions about enough. Enough trouble, enough loss, enough yearning, enough resentment. And enough love to…

“Who can know God’s counsel?” asks the book of Wisdom. We are timid and find it very hard to grasp the world around us – except that sometimes, says Wisdom,…

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…

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…

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…

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…