Articles for Ordinary Time

  Some of my family members thought I was crazy for joining a monastery, and that I would be wasting my life away. But from my point of view, I can see the exact opposite. In our first reading today, we hear, “For many, as I have often told you and now tell you even…

  Jesus begins the parable of the lost sheep with a question. He asks who among us would not leave 99 sheep alone in the desert in order to go and find that one lost sheep. I have considered this question carefully, and my answer is, “I would not.” I say this because I know…

  Today we celebrate the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed. This is the remembrance of all of the Faithful Departed who have died in God’s Friendship, but are still undergoing the purification of Purgatory. Now, Catholic teaching on Purgatory is one of the harder teachings for some people to accept, but that is often because…

  If you google “Catholic Saint of the Day,” a number of good sites come up. But one of my favorites is Catholic.org. I like this site for the saint of the day because as I sit down today (October 23) to write this reflection, the first saint listed is St. John of Capistrano. But…

  Most of us love a good party. Whatever the occasion—a birthday, a wedding, an “its Wednesday” celebration—we enjoy inviting family and friends over for good food and fun times. And we enjoy being invited by family and friends to the same. So when in today’s gospel, Jesus seems to say we should not be…

  In my parish in Kingston, Jamaica, each year on Good Friday, we would do the Stations of the Cross through the streets of the Church’s neighborhood. We would have the drum corps lead us from station to station, and at each station, we would stop and sing, and say the prayers for the station.…

  We began this week on Sunday with Jesus telling us the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. The Pharisee proudly bragged about what a good person he was. The tax collector beat his breast and said, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us another parable.…

  Today we celebrate the Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles. Jesus chose these two individuals from among the larger group of disciples. They had a special vocation. Today we say that they were not only apostles. They also stood at the beginning of the Church’s history. In them, we recognize the beginnings of…

  Every spring, as I begin working in the garden next to the small pond we call “Maria Laach,” I notice the arrival of two Canadian geese. Although I can’t be sure, I think it is the same pair, male and female, that would grace us every year with their presence. There is a sliver…

  Today’s Gospel starts out somewhat problematically. An unidentified person asks Jesus, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” Jesus doesn’t give a direct answer to this. But by what he says, one could surmise that he affirms that only a few people will be saved. “Many will attempt to enter but will not…

  In the gospels, we have a record of the method Jesus used in teaching the people. He used very ordinary examples: light, salt, grains of wheat, lost sheep. Today’s Gospel is a good example of this. Questions abound. What is the Kingdom of God like? When will the world end? What kind of a…

  All of the Gospel readings this week come from the pen of St. Luke. Most of them come from the 13th chapter of this Gospel. Sunday’s Gospel concluded with the words: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” This Saturday’s Gospel, about guests at a wedding…

  When I wake up in the morning and look at myself in the mirror, what do I see? According to today’s Gospel, there are two possibilities. Either I can see a Pharisee or I can see a tax collector (someone known in Jesus’ time as a notorious sinner). If I see a Pharisee, I…

  This day and age carries a strong secular current. Many aspects of society are becoming more secular and more indifferent to religion, if not outright hostile towards it. Society is losing a sense of the sacred and the holy. And that is the great tragedy. Worship and holiness are the things that people need…

  When we pray the Psalms, we learn, and learn again and again, that we are on a journey. We are not lone individuals randomly roaming the Earth. We are God’s people. We are the Church, the spotless Bride of Christ, although this beautiful Church will endure persecution on Earth. We are a people with…

  This week’s meditations are focusing on the Psalms and responsorials. Let us explore today the mystery of the Psalms. The Psalms are the heartbeat of the Bible. They are not only the prayer of ancient Israel; they are the songs of Israel and the songs of the Church. The writing of the Psalmist is…

  You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation. Is. 12 How can we really describe martyrdom? We can witness to Christ by choosing to live in holiness every day. True martyrdom is something that all people would be afraid of. Giving up one’s life for the gospel is the highest sacrifice that…

  Your friends make known, o Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Ps. 145 How did the first apostles and evangelists spread the gospel? How did they do so many things to lay the foundation of the Church? The truth is very simple yet compelling. They had first become Jesus’ friends. They came to…

  The Lord made us, we belong to him. Ps. 100 I am frequently drawn to the writing and example of St. Ignatius of Antioch. He is, indeed, one of the most profound witnesses of the Early Church. His writing holds within it a healthy realism that shows the full cost and reward of discipleship.…

  Our help is in the name of the Lord who made Heaven and Earth. Ps. 121 How often we are brought back to a familiar truth in a way that astounds us and amazes us! We are called to persevere in prayer. I love the story of an athlete who had worked for years…

  We have one of Jesus’s more confusing statements in today’s gospel: “the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven” What does this mean? There have been two consistent explanations, and they are both valuable to reflect on. The first explanation might be that to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit is…

  This week it is all about freedom. Today Jesus warns us about the freedom of God’s will and knowledge: “there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed!” Jesus tells us that our lives are not entirely our own; his will and desire also have freedom it must enjoy. Even our attempts to hide,…

  We continue reflecting on the Christian freedom won for us in Christ. In our gospel today, Jesus continues the “woes” to those in authority and those with influence. What Jesus is highlighting is a critical component to genuine freedom in Jesus; others have it as well. Liberty, devoid of Christian freedom, begins to encroach…

  St. Paul continues his instruction on what it means to be free in Christ Jesus. Freedom in Christ is freedom from the slavery of sin, which blinds us from doing good in all circumstances. Today, St. Paul helps us recognize the works of sin so as not to be enslaved by them, and he…

  What does St. Paul mean when he says, “for freedom, Christ set us free?” What is this freedom? Freedom is a powerful word here in the United States, and we have many expectations that come with the use of the word. There are certain parallels, but it means so much more in the Christian…

  What a curious phrase of Jesus: that this generation is only given the sign of Jonah, and that Jesus is that sign. What does this mean? There are two ways to answer this. First, Jonah, if you remember, was in the belly of a great fish before being hurled onto the shore of Nineveh,…

  We must die with Christ! These are scary but true words. Death in Christ makes up, in part, the core of Christian life, that we must die with Christ to live with Christ. Now, before you run out and think I am crazy, let us examine what this means and why it is so…

  Today is a great and glorious day feast day! We know it as Our Lady of the Rosary but it is also known as Our Lady of Victory or Our Lady of Lepanto, for more information go to this link: https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/our-lady-of-the-rosary-and-the-battle-of-lepanto/. The picture I included today has our Lady in full body armor as…

  Jesus is our friend, praise God! The stupid Galatians, as St. Paul says have forgotten that this—they are too wrapped up in worldly desires. Jesus says in the gospel today, “‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing…

  Today we celebrate a great polish saint who always reminds us that no matter how difficult life can be, like what we heard in the first reading, that God’s Divine Mercy will bring us peace and joy. I am of course talking about St. Faustina Kowalska, the secretary of Divine Mercy. From her diary…

  St. Paul and St. Francis were party animals and didn’t care about the Church. “Saul, Saul” the Lord Jesus said, “Why are you persecuting me?” “Francis,” the Lord said to him at San Damiano “build my Church!” In our responsorial psalm today, we hear “O LORD, you have probed me and you know me.…

  Brothers and Sisters, in this first reading, it feels like St. Paul is telling us to be aware of wolves in sheep’s clothing. In his own words, he is telling the Galatians to be on their guard, especially if someone makes the gospel about themselves. The gospel belongs to the Holy Trinity alone. For…

  Today’s readings remind me of one thing: war. The prophet Habakkuk says to the Lord “How long, O LORD? I cry for help but you do not listen! I cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not intervene.” It makes me wonder what Habakkuk’s faith was like, and better yet, what is your…

  Towards the end of today’s Gospel passage, Jesus makes a very important statement for us to consider. Jesus says. “No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” The first question to look at is…

  In today’s Gospel, we encounter a Jesus that we do not normally encounter. We encounter a stern Jesus who pronounces words of woe and condemnation upon those cities that have not accepted him and his proclamation of the Gospel. Even though it makes us uncomfortable to encounter such a stern Jesus, it would be…

  I can remember back 40 years, to 1982, when the biggest movie of the year was E. T. The Extraterrestrial. In this movie, the extraterrestrial is stranded on earth when his ship leaves suddenly. The extraterrestrial befriends a young boy and the boy’s family, who call him E. T. The entire movie is about…

  In the Gospel for today, Jesus has three encounters that together illustrate the difficulties that may be encountered in following Jesus as a disciple. For me, the first encounter is the most telling. The person offers himself as a disciple, telling Jesus “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus’ response to this would-be…

  In today’s Gospel, Jesus and his disciples are traveling toward Jerusalem, and they want to pass through a Samaritan village on the way. However, the Samaritan village refuses to welcome Jesus because his destination is Jerusalem. So, Jesus and the disciples have to go around the village. However, James and John want to call…

  In the Gospel for today, the disciples of Jesus are once again caught arguing about who among them was the greatest. Concern for status was always a big concern for them, and a source of conflict for them. But we should not be too critical of them for this. After all, we all too…

  Our Gospel reading for today is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man lives a sumptuous life, while Lazarus sits at his gate, covered with sores, and unnoticed by the rich man. In the parable, both men die, but their fates after death are very different. We find comfort in…