Monday, 21st Week in Ordinary Time                         In this chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus uses the harsh rebuke “Woe to you…” seven times in a row in reference to the scribes and Pharisees. He also calls them “blind guides,” “hypocrites,” “whitewashed tombs,” “serpents,” “brood of vipers,” and “murderers.” Jesus could not be any clearer about … Continue reading WOE TO YOU

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time                       Let me start off by asking you to repeat the words of Simon Peter in today’s gospel reading and make them as our prayer: Lord Jesus, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are … Continue reading TO WHOM SHALL WE GO?

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time                       A husband and wife, prior to marriage, decided that HE would make all the major decisions and SHE the minor ones. After twenty years of marriage, the man was asked how this arrangement had worked. The man replied, “Great! In all these years I’ve never had to make a … Continue reading A CALL TO DECISION

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time                       There is always the temptation to just “Go with the flow,” as they say. There are many people who live from one day to the next and somehow never make any really fundamental choices. They resist having to make hard decisions. They let choices be made for them by … Continue reading JOSHUA MOMENT

Saturday, 20th Week in Ordinary Time                        “The greatest among you must be your servant.”             For Jesus, greatness is achieved through service. Humble service is the way of Christ, and should be the way of every one who seeks to follow him. What Jesus is telling us is this: If we are seeking for … Continue reading GREATNESS IN SERVICE

Friday, 20th Week in Ordinary Time                         It is said that the devil’s best strategy in tempting us is not to tell us to forget God completely (which does not work on many) but to tell us and convince us to think of God only half of the time, and to give him only half … Continue reading WITH ALL OUR ALL

Thursday, 20th Week in Ordinary Time                       God the Father has prepared a wedding feast for his Son, and we are all invited to this feast. That is the poetic summary of salvation that can be found in the gospel parable that Jesus tells us today. The “wedding feast” is an apt metaphor of the … Continue reading CLOTHING AND SPIRITUAL CHANGE

Wednesday, 20th Week in Ordinary Time                   Children on a playground shout when they detect a foul play, “That’s not fair!” Siblings doing household chores may complain, “I’m doing more work,” or “My chore is more difficult… That’s not fair!” Students at school may resent the extra attention given to a classmate may say, “She’s … Continue reading THAT’S NOT FAIR!

Tuesday, 20th Week in Ordinary Time                        The “Eye of the Needle” was the name for a very low, small, or narrow gate into Jerusalem. How often Jesus notices everyday things and uses them as images to convey his message. Practically only the body of a person, big or small, can pass through this “eye … Continue reading THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE

Monday, 20th Week in Ordinary Time                         I received an email from a friend – a businessman based abroad. It is a very striking letter in which he is actually sharing his feeling. The most significant part of that email is where he says: “Perhaps you can say, as the cliché goes, I have everything … Continue reading FILLED BUT UNFULFILLED