Articles for Ordinary Time
“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” John 6:56 Today’s Gospel reading ranks among the most difficult passages in the entire Bible. Jesus tells us that we must eat his flesh and drink his blood to have eternal life. When the crowd questions this teaching, we…
Since last Wednesday, the first reading at daily Mass has been from 2nd Timothy. St. Paul has been exhorting Timothy to remember his example of service in the name of Jesus, whether it is convenient or inconvenient. The Lord, the just judge, will award a crown of righteousness to one who gives his life…
Is there one person who impresses you? Someone you truly esteem? Do you wish you were a little like him or her? Timothy had known St. Paul for years. He was brought to faith in Jesus by St. Paul. He received instruction in the usual way. He also witnessed his way of life, which…
Most people are familiar with the ten commandments given by God to Moses. However, some Old Testament scholars say that there are really 613 commandments. So, the scribe’s question to Jesus, “Which is the first of all the commandments?”, is really an attempt to simplify matters. According to Jesus, to love God above all…
St. Paul was imprisoned in Rome and was nearing the end of his apostolic ministry. He had founded a Church in Ephesus and appointed his trusted helper, Timothy, to lead that community. However, Timothy was facing much persecution. It was important for the Ephesians that Timothy remain steadfast in the face of hardships and…
St. Peter tells us to “Wait for and hasten the coming of the day of God.” The ladder of virtues (faith > virtue > knowledge > self-control > endurance > devotion > mutual affection > love) takes time to climb because we sometimes take two steps backward. The “waiting” part St. Peter speaks of…
The 2nd letter of St. Peter warns early Christians to beware of false teachers and encourages hearers to grow in faith. The Gospel of St. Mark strives to strengthen the faith of those enduring persecution. St. Peter outlines a beautiful “Christian growth chain” or “ladder of virtues”, which begins with personal belief (faith) and…
“The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself.” (CCC 234) In various ways, God has always been present with his people. God the Father created the Garden of Eden for Adam and Eve. He communicated with Moses and…
In today’s gospel, Jesus shows us why his opponents have such a hard time with him and ultimately reject him. It begins when they ask him a question: “by what authority are you doing these things?” This seems like an honest question, but what Jesus does in answer shows that it is not. Jesus…
In the middle of today’s gospel, we have the cleansing of the Temple. Jesus arrives at the Temple in Jerusalem, and, not liking what he is seeing, he throws a small personal riot. He overturns the tables of the money changers and the sellers of doves and chases out all of those dealing in…
Today’s gospel recounts Jesus’ encounter with the blind Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus is sitting by the side of the road, and he hears that the man Jesus is passing by. Knowing Jesus’ reputation for healing, Bartimaeus cries out, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me!” And he keeps calling out like this, even when others…
Today’s gospel passage begins with Jesus telling the disciples about his coming Passion, which will occur when they get to Jerusalem. Shortly after this, he is approached by James and John, who ask him: “Grant that in your glory we may sit, one at your right and the other at your left.” This must…
Today’s gospel passage begins with Peter pointing out to Jesus that he and his fellow apostles have given up everything to follow him. This prompts Jesus to speak about the reward that comes from following him. This in turn draws our attention because we, like Peter, would like to know what benefits we can…
Today we celebrate the Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church. This memorial was established in 2018 by the Congregation for Divine Works and the Discipline of the Sacraments in the Vatican (now called the Dicastery for Divine Works and the Discipline of the Sacraments). This memorial recognizes Mary’s unique relationship to Christ and…
One of the best descriptions I have heard about how to understand the Holy Trinity speaks of the love of the Father and the Son being so strong that this bond of love is the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. So, the Holy Spirit is the bond of love between Father and Son.…
Our no-nonsense teacher St. James continues to guide us through the brambles of temptations in the first reading again today. Finding excuses for our faults and weaknesses is our first reaction when confronted with our blunders large and small. Deflecting the guilt seems to come so naturally as we search for answers as to…
Sometimes the lessons of life seem short and blunt. That’s the impression that might come to us as we reflect on the readings for today’s liturgy. We can guess that the writer of the letter of St. James is very concerned to give clear and very direct instructions to the reader. This is the…
“We speak a wisdom to those who are mature, not a wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away.” These are words coming from St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians in today’s second reading. This is coming from a former Pharisee, someone taught by the best minds…
A very happy feast day of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, and of course of St. Valentine! Let’s look at St. Cyril and Methodius, brothers who loved our Lord and wanted God’s message spread to the Slavic people, by translating the gospels to the different Slavic nations. St. Cyril once said, “However tired and physically…
“He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’ (that is, ‘Be opened!’).” I am not going to lie to you, if anyone including Jesus did this to me, I would probably freak out! Jesus ordered the man…
In our Alleluia verse today, we read “Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.” Don’t uproot the word that is in your soul, God wants you to faith in him, so that his word may blossom into a beautiful flower in you, and so…
Today is another great feast day, this time for Our Lady of Lourdes! Our Lady said to dear little Bernadette Soubirous in her ninth apparition, “Go and drink from the spring and wash yourself there.” Water purifies and washes us clean. In our gospel today, the Lord says at the very end, “All these…
Today is a GREAT feast! The feast of our Holy Mother St. Scholastica! A woman full of grace and love for her Divine Spouse. She was someone who could (to quote my dear confrere Fr. Timothy Schoen in a homily on St. Scholastica’s feast day) pray up a storm! When St. Benedict wanted to…
“Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.” I love passing out Miraculous Medals and St. Benedict medals that have been touched to relics of the…
In our first reading in Isaiah, the Lord says it very clearly, “If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday.”…
“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” As the apostles returned from being sent out, they came together with Jesus and recounted all that they experienced. But Jesus has them pause and rest in silence, in a deserted place. There is great wisdom here, for our mission to do…
In today’s readings, we have a strong contrast of characters between David and Herod. In the first reading, we hear of the many great deeds of King David: slaying the giant, defeating armies, becoming king, and much more. He was not perfect, for he sinned. But, out of love for God, he repented and…
“He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick – no food, no sack, no money in their belts.” Jesus sent his disciples out with nothing except faith in the authority he gave them and the support of each other. It is an important detail that he sent them two…
“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” Jesus came into his native place, and all that he said and did was met with doubt and questioning. It is hard to see Jesus in those we have known for a long…
“My son Absalom! My son, my son, Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!” This cry of mourning from King David moves the heart and speaks of a father’s love for his son. Absalom rebelled against his father, the king, but this betrayal didn’t overshadow David’s fatherly…
“Thus says the Lord GOD: Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me; and suddenly there will come to the temple the LORD whom you seek, and the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.” These words from the prophet Malachi foreshadow the coming of the Christ into the temple…
“Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters.” This opening verse of the second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians reminds us to listen to God’s voice calling out to us and trust in His wisdom and will in our lives. What is it that God is calling us to? In today’s readings,…
Sin causes division, and it also causes pain. King David’s infidelity with Bathsheba resulted in a rejection of God and His commandments (adultery and murder). David repented, and God forgave him. But David had to live with the consequences. The sacrament of confession in the Catholic Church is an opportunity for confessing sins and…
Last Tuesday at Mass, the first reading told of King David bringing the Ark of the Lord into Jerusalem and praising God with great rejoicing and worship. Tomorrow we will hear that David kept a fast and pleaded with God to save his dying child. People often turn to God in times of joy…
“Then King David went in and sat in the Lord’s presence and said, ‘Who am I, Lord God, and what is my house, that you should have brought me so far? And yet even this is too little in your sight, Lord God!” (2nd Samuel 7:18-19). This is the act, and these are the…
King David wanted to glorify and honor God by building Him a house. God was more interested in building an eternal House. God’s promise to establish David’s house and kingdom was not based on his descendants being perfect, but rather on God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. The first reading at Mass from 2nd Samuel…
My maternal Grandfather was one of ten children. He and Grandma also had ten children. My Mom was one of 58 first cousins on her Dad’s side of the family alone. Mom, who will soon be 93 years old, knows the birth order of each of these cousins and can nearly provide all of their…
Today’s passage from the Gospel of St. Mark was the basis for Abraham Lincoln’s famous “House Divided” speech. Differences are not necessarily a bad thing; the Spirit bestows a variety of gifts to all of us. However, these gifts are for the common good and for the building up of the one body of…
When John the Baptist preached, his message was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This repentance of sin was not simply to wipe the slate clean. Sin is not so much a stain as it is a division. Adam and Eve were one with God in the Garden of Eden until…
“When his relatives heard of this, they set out to seize him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” There is a text in the Gospel of John, Chapter 10, which I suggest throws some light on this action of the relatives which may seem strange to us: Jn 10: This is why…