Monday, 22nd Week in Ordinary Time                “He has sent me to bring glad tiding to the poor.”             The story is told by a Franciscan friar in Australia assigned to be the guide to Mother Teresa when she visited New South Wales. Thrilled and excited at the prospect of being so close to this … Continue reading GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time                None of us likes to be rebuffed by another. If a child is trying to help a parent and the parent pushes the little one aside because he or she is getting in the way of doing the task quickly, the child is hurt. Child psychology tells us that … Continue reading PASCHAL MYSTERY

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time               From an unknown source comes an article titled, “How To Be Miserable.” It says, “Think about yourself. Talk about yourself.” Use ‘I’ as often as possible. Mirror yourself continually in the opinion of others. Listen greedily to what people say about you. Expect to be appreciated and recognized. Be … Continue reading NO TO SELF, YES TO GOD

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time               Today’s first reading is taken from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, and it belongs to the genre of confessions – remember that term. Jeremiah is called to be a prophet as a very young man, probably even a teenager – as young as seventeen. Being so young, he … Continue reading LIKE A BURNING FIRE

The Passion of St. John the Baptist             We commemorate today the martyrdom of John the Baptist. What we are actually celebrating is his courage to witness to the truth: to stand up and say to King Herod, “There is right and there is wrong. And what you are doing is wrong.” As a result, … Continue reading WITNESS TO THE TRUTH

Friday, 21st Week in Ordinary Time             Today’s gospel reading talks about preparedness and readiness. After telling the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids, Jesus says: “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” With these words Jesus asks his followers to ponder his return and to be always prepared “for the … Continue reading OIL OF GRACE

Thursday, 21st Week in Ordinary Time             “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.”             If the day and hour of the coming of Christ are known only to God, then all of our life must be in constant preparation for that coming. If that is so, according … Continue reading READY FOR THE COMING

Wednesday, 21st Week in Ordinary Time             Once again we have Jesus in today’s gospel reading speaking in an exceptionally direct way to the Pharisees. He does not hold back at all in his condemnation of them. He describes them as both “whitewashed” and “tombs.” They are ‘whitewashed’ in the sense that they do all … Continue reading UTMOST HONESTY

Tuesday, 21st Week in Ordinary Time             “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.”             There were some significant differences between how the scribes and Pharisees viewed the life of faith and how Jesus viewed the life of faith. Let me emphasize three points… The religion of the scribes and Pharisees valued rules over … Continue reading LOOKING GOOD AND BEING GOOD

St. Bartholomew             We celebrate today the feast of St. Bartholomew, also known as Nathanael. It is said that he preached the Gospel in what we know as India and Armenia. He gave his life for Christ, tradition has it, by being skinned alive.             Today’s gospel reading talks about the moment of his call. … Continue reading GREATER THINGS