Articles for Ordinary Time
St. Paul’s words about love come to us in a passage that we never tire of hearing. God created us for love, and we are his beloved children. I must confess that despite the beautiful description of what love is about, frankly it is not so easy to do. We experience such divisive attitudes…
The Cross. So often we associate it with pain, with suffering. It becomes something we would like to avoid if possible. If this is the case with the noun “cross,” there is more to be said for the adjective in describing a “cross” person. Such an individual whom we describe as cross, even if…
For those who have used the services of a physical therapist, my experience may ring close to home. I have been suffering from back surgery and a weakened leg. My therapy included many leg exercises to strengthen my walking. In doing so, I have occasionally had to wear weights. At first, they seemed awfully…
“I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them. That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because…
“Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?” – Luke 6:39 Today’s Gospel reading shows us why self-knowledge is so important. If we are too focused on the sins of others, we can become blind to our own sins. This blindness makes us less effective evangelists and…
“To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” – Luke 6:27-28 In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us that we must love our enemies and do good to those who hate us. Of course, this is…
“Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours.” – Luke 6:20 In today’s Gospel we find Luke’s abridged version of the beatitudes. Interestingly, both St. Matthew and St. Luke placed poverty first in their accounts. Poverty is meant to free us from being slaves to the world, and instead,…
“Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.” – Matthew 1:16 In the beginning of the Gospel according to Matthew, we find a long genealogy of Jesus. Many of the names listed are familiar to us, such as Abraham and David from the Old Testament. The life of the Blessed Virgin Mary…
“Looking around at them all, he then said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so and his hand was restored.” Luke 6:10 As with many of the miracles Jesus performs in the Gospels, there is a deeper spiritual meaning hidden beneath the physical act. The physical act in this case is the…
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.” – Matthew 18:15 In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus teaches us that we have the duty to correct our brothers and sisters when they sin. When giving…
God presented St. Paul and all of the Apostles as the last of all, so that no one would be inflated with pride. The Apostles were ordinary persons who became good stewards over time. The mother of James and John requested that her sons sit at Jesus’ right and left when he came into…
St. Paul tells the Corinthians, “Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Now it is of course required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.” What is a steward? One definition is, “A steward is a person who manages property, looks after passengers, or protects…
In her liturgy today, the Catholic Church honors St. Gregory the Great, Pope from 590 to 604. Born into a wealthy family, St. Gregory was well-educated and rose to prominence in Roman society. He was involved in both politics and religion. Due to his writings and his influence on the Divine Liturgy and Gregorian…
In his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul tries to explain the difference between the spirit of the world and the Spirit of God; between the natural person and the spiritual person. It is natural to live according to our senses, to act based on how things appear, sound, smell, taste, and feel.…
The Spirit of God scrutinizes everything. It will search for the Truth of Christ within a person. The Truth of Christ will help us: to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Should we fail…
Truth. What is Truth? St. Paul came to Corinth in weakness and fear and much trembling because he knew his proclamation must be based solely in Truth and not in sublimity of words or of wisdom. Although he was a scholar and a person of importance, these parts of St. Paul would need to…
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” “You duped me, O Lord. All the day I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me.” “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” “The…
Today’s memorial is called the Passion of St. John the Baptist. This is a deliberate comparison to the Passion of Christ. John’s vocation was to go before Jesus in everything, preparing the way for him. He was born first and began his ministry first. According to the gospels of Matthew and Mark, Jesus begins…
Today, we have the parable of the ten bridesmaids, five of whom are wise, and five who are foolish. They are waiting for the bridegroom to come, but he is long in coming, and all ten fall asleep. They are awakened when the bridegroom arrives, but their lamps are going out. The five wise…
Today we celebrate the memorial of St. Monica, while tomorrow we will celebrate the memorial of her son, St. Augustine. Now, St. Augustine wasn’t always very saintly. In fact, as his autobiography shows, from age 16 he rejected Christianity and embraced teachings that were contrary to the faith, and he began to behave in…
In the gospel passage for today, Jesus’ dispute with the scribes and Pharisees becomes personal. Jesus portrays them as saying: “If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophet’s blood.” The scribes and Pharisees saw themselves as being faithful to the laws and…
In today’s gospel, Jesus accuses the Pharisees: “You clean the outside of cup and dish, while inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.” The cleaning of the outside of the bowl refers to such things as the various ritual washings the Pharisees are known to have required, along with the tithing of mint,…
Today we celebrate the feast of St. Bartholomew, one of the Twelve Apostles, and someone especially chosen by Jesus to be close to him and to receive special teachings. Bartholomew is named as an apostle in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John’s gospel does not name Bartholomew but does name a disciple…
In today’s gospel, Jesus questions his disciples about their thoughts of who he is. It is Simon Peter who jumps in immediately: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” Jesus is quite pleased with this answer and immediately renames Simon as Peter (Petros or Rock) and asserts that he will build…
Called to Serve “The greatest among you must be your servant.” Jesus warns His disciples not to imitate leaders who seek honor while neglecting the humility that gives authority its credibility. Titles, recognition, and places of distinction mean little if they are not matched by lives of faithful service. St. Benedict understood this well.…
Law of Love “You shall love the Lord, your God… and your neighbor as yourself.” When asked which commandment is the greatest, Jesus does not hesitate. Love of God comes first, and love of neighbor follows naturally from it. Everything else—the law, the prophets, and the Christian life—depends upon these two commandments. In his…
Receiving the Invitation “Invite to the feast whomever you find.” In the parable of the wedding feast, Jesus reveals the surprising generosity of the Kingdom of heaven. The first guests disregard the invitation. Some are too preoccupied with their own affairs; others respond with hostility. Yet the king will not allow the banquet hall…
Responding to His Call “You too go into my vineyard.” The landowner goes out repeatedly throughout the day to hire workers for his vineyard. At dawn, at midday, and even in the final hour, he is seeking those who are still standing idle. I get the sense that his concern is twofold: that the…
Trusting in God “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” After the rich young man walks away, Jesus turns to His disciples with a sobering lesson: “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.” His words…
Letting Go “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” At first glance, this seems like a commendable question. The young man approaches Jesus sincerely, eager to know what more he must do. He desires eternal life and assumes there is one final task to complete. But is there? We often think…
Salvation for All Today’s readings contain several rich themes, but I think there is one thread that weaves through them all: God’s salvation has always been universal, even when it unfolds through particular people. Israel is chosen as the instrument through which all nations will come to know God. Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite…
It was 17 years ago today that I made my first profession of monastic vows. The picture below is from my solemn profession; I drew it as a mosaic at Marytown, the National Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe. My friend Dr. Claude Foster who wrote an extensive book on St. Maximilian Kolbe called, “Mary’s…
“Jesus said to the Pharisees, ‘have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?’” “I have a wife and children! What will…
Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” As the day approaches when Fr. Maximilian will receive his red crown of martyrdom, as he has worn…
Today I can see prisoner number 16670 in a starvation bunker, his fellow inmates receiving the Divine Mercy of the Lord by being “released” by death, but not before prisoner 16670 heard their confession. It is said that St. Maximilian Kolbe’s jail cell was turned into a chapel. S.S. guards, after shutting the door…
Today is not only the feast of St. Clare of Assisi, but it is also the feast of St. Philomena! In our Alleluia verse today, we hear, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.” Life is hard, and both Sts. Clare and Philomena knew…
Today is a great feast day! The feast of St. Lawrence, who died for the faith, being burned alive on a grill. As my mom would say, “St. Lawrence is the patron saint of football because he died on the gridiron.” Jesus said in the gospel today: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless…
In our readings today, one word comes to mind: “simplicity.” In the first reading, we have all these big, powerful, and God-fearing elements while Elijah was waiting for the Lord to pass by. You would think our almighty Lord would do something powerful to say, “I AM here!” But no, it was just a…
St. Dominic, the founder of the Order of Preachers, began his itinerant evangelizing in response to a threat to the Catholic Church. This came through the Albigensians who set up a rival church. They were Gnostics, a term that comes from the Greek word for “knowledge.” Gnosticism says there is a secret wisdom that…
Does God care? This is a perennial question by most that are open to belief in God. And for atheists, the existence of evil – despite the very fact that we Christians proclaim a good God who made the world good – is reason enough to believe there is no God. …