Articles for Ordinary Time

  Today’s readings offer vivid ways to grasp and appreciate the Glory of God. Understanding or describing this divine glory is as challenging as defining things like beauty or love—both are felt deeply but resist simple explanation. We use music, art, and poetry to fully experience these concepts. When we receive information—whether through a vision,…

  St. Thomas Aquinas was a brilliant theologian and philosopher. In his day, he was known for his preaching and moral teaching. Occasionally, he also had some fantastic practical advice. One piece of advice he gave when someone was sad was to indulge, prudently, in something you like, allow yourself a good cry, share your…

  Most of us have heard the legend of St. Lawrence’s martyrdom. He is said to have been burned alive on a gridiron. Furthermore, in a moment of macabre drollery, the Roman deacon supposedly quipped to his torturers: “Turn me over. I’m done on this side.” The Church emphasizes a different story from Lawrence’s martyrdom…

  Does God care? This is a perennial question by most that are open to belief in God. And for atheists, the existence of evil—because of the very fact that we Christians proclaim a good God who made the world good—is reason enough to believe there is no God. Today the prophet Nahum tells the…

  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…

  When the Israelites set out on the Exodus from slavery in Egypt, they left behind more than oppression. The land of enslavement did not just have meat, it had overflowing fleshpots (cf. Ex. 16:3); it had tasty vegetables (Numbers 11:5). The hardscrabble nomadic life in the Sinai desert was another story. So even when…

  I’m the type of person who would rather be correct than happy. For that reason, it catches my attention that there is a discrepancy between St. Peter’s eyewitness testimony and the St. Mark’s narrative of the Transfiguration. Both recount that the Father’s voice proclaimed Jesus is His “Beloved Son.” However, according to the apostle,…

  The prophets Hannaniah and Jeremiah represent two types: the prophet of hope and the prophet of doom. The content of Jeremiah’s book is bad news. This is not by choice; in fact he laments he would rather not speak these words but feels compelled by God (cf. Jer. 20:7-9). The Lord chose Jeremiah to…

  “Jesus is scarcely sought after for his own sake.” With these words, St. Augustine comments on today’s gospel. Jesus says to the crowds who seek him: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.” This mismatch is…

  When God called the Prophet Jeremiah, Jeremiah initially gave the excuse that he is too young. It’s true that God was asking a lot of Jeremiah, but God also gave him the grace and strength that he needed in every situation. Now, he is in a rather tense situation on account of his preaching…

  Those in the synagogue were initially “astonished” at Jesus’ teaching and they marveled at His wisdom and mighty deeds. But, it quickly changed to resentment and offense. Temptations are very cunning, but particularly through the vices of envy or jealousy. I remember listening to a man who had a positive exchange and meeting with…

  Jeremiah gives us a striking image, which is a favorite for many people. The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah and said, “Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, house of Israel.” A hardened or stubborn heart is like dry clay that only cracks and…

  Today we celebrate the Memorial of the great founder of the Jesuits, St. Ignatius of Loyola. There are many reasons why I appreciate Ignatius’ spirituality and contributions to the Church, but most of all because of his insights regarding his Rules for the Discernment of Spirits as part of his Spiritual Exercises. The “rules”…

  I was talking to a young man who said he was discerning priesthood, but he listed several fears and anxieties that were stopping him from pursuing it further. I listened, then simply observed that he was giving the Devil a pretty easy fight by simply allowing fear to stop him from following Christ. The…

  St. Thomas Aquinas speaks of charity as “friendship with God.” Following Aristotle, Aquinas presupposes that there can only be true friendships between equals. So, for example, a king cannot be a friend with a slave, nor a noble woman with her servant. It is simply impossible for there to be equality between God and…

  In the account of the multiplication of the loaves, John the Evangelist lays the groundwork to the most powerful chapter in all of the Gospels in communicating the truth of the Eucharist—the truth that Jesus is “the living bread that came down from heaven; and whoever eats this bread will live forever.” As we…

  Today on this Marian Saturday, we hear in our Alleluia verse, “Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.” Mary is a perfect model of this because of her Fiat (her yes to the Lord) and her obedience. St. Maximilian Kolbe says “One thing only…

  Today is the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, parents of Our Lady. In our Gospel, we hear the parable of the sower, “The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom without understanding it, and the Evil One comes and steals away what was sown in…

  Today we celebrate the feast of St. James. Not much is known about him, but let’s take a look at our Alleluia scripture reading. It says, “I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.” God chose St. James to go and bear fruit. This relates…

  In today’s first reading from Jeremiah, we hear “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you. ‘Ah, Lord GOD!’ I said, ‘I know not how to speak; I am too young.’ But the LORD answered me, Say…

  In today’s gospel we hear, “While Jesus was speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him. Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you.” But he said in reply to the one who told him, “Who is my…

  Today we celebrate the feast of St. Mary Magdalene, who I would call the first missionary to announce the resurrection! As it says in the gospel today, “Jesus said to her ‘go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ Mary…

  In today’s gospel, the Pharisees begin to plot how they can have Jesus put to death. Jesus is aware of this and his response is to withdraw into a deserted place. Further, as the people continue to come to him for healing, he tells them not to tell where he is or that he…

  In today’s gospel passage, Matthew 12: 1-8, Jesus and his disciples are walking through a field of grain on the Sabbath, and the disciples start picking grain and eating it because they are hungry. The Pharisees see this and condemn this action as a violation of the Sabbath. Jesus justifies this action ultimately by…

  In today’s gospel we have the beautiful invitation from the Lord: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” This invitation is a balm for the soul of anyone who has felt the burden of life and desired to rest in the Lord. Jesus goes on…

  Today’s gospel ends with a very puzzling sentence: “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” If we break down what this sentence is saying, it suggests that nobody really knows Jesus the Son except…

  The last sentence of the second reading from the prophet Isaiah reads: “Unless your faith is firm you shall not be firm!” This reminds me of what is said in chapter 1, verse 6 of the Epistle of James: “…for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven…

  We are used to Jesus being gentle and loving, a man of peace who brings peace wherever he goes. Thus, the Jesus who appears in the first part of today’s gospel is very jarring. Here Jesus says he has come not to bring peace but to bring the sword. He has come, he says,…

  The second reading for today’s Mass is from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, Chapter 1, verses 3 to 14. Verse 4 of this passage is one of the most powerful verses in all of scripture. It is one that I come back to over and over in my preaching. The reason I do…

Everything Will Be Revealed Jesus says, “Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.” (Matthew 10:26b) This is a profound statement. What does Jesus mean by it? Is it a call to be transparent and authentic? Even though no one on earth may know [fill in the blank],…

  Shrewd Silence and Simple Speech …A moment of silence… Can you hear it? Perhaps not right now, as you read these words of mine. But perhaps today, you will have a moment of silence, a moment to yourself, in which you find yourself and your God. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus advises his Apostles…

Listen, my Child It is a special day here, not only because it is our founder’s commemoration day. But also, because we welcome a new lifelong member into our monastic community, Br. Mark Nelson, OSB. He is professing solemn and perpetual monastic vows—a promise before God and His saints to live out the rest of…

The Laborers are Few It’s summertime here in the Midwest. That means vacation, a slower pace, enjoyment and leisure for those with means. Yet, there is much work to be done for the sake of the Kingdom. As Jesus says in the Gospel today, “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37b).…

  A Sacramental Touch “If only I can touch his cloak…” said the longsuffering woman in today’s Gospel reading according to Matthew (9:21). She but touched the tassel on his cloak, yet Jesus noticed. Surely, Jesus’ tassel did not have nerve endings connected to his brain. Rather, it was the woman’s faith that sent a…

  What’s in a Name? I have heard this phrase before, but where? A quick online search tells me it appears in William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. Lamenting that her family has a nasty feud with Romeo’s family, Juliet says: What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name…

  St. John Chrysostom tells us that the old cloak or the old wineskins that Jesus uses as an image represent his disciples, who have not yet been renewed with the Spirit and therefore are not ready receive the full expectation of the Gospel. The disciples had made sacrifices in order to follow Jesus, but…

  Jewish tax collectors were seen as traitors along with being unjust. Not only did many of them cheat the people they collected from, they were serving a foreign power that occupied the land promised to God’s people. They sinned against their kin and against the covenant with the Lord. Nevertheless, Jesus saw the good…

  The ability to receive criticism is an invaluable skill, one that is in short supply. Everyone has their flaws, and we owe our communities and especially ourselves the effort to improve our shortcomings. This is not a demand for perfection or a pronouncement of shame but an acceptance that we are imperfect and that…

  The poor Apostle Thomas will always be known as the one who doubted the Resurrection. Rarely do people recall his declaration that they would follow Jesus to his death when he returned to Jerusalem (John 11:16). It may be fitting to forget that statement, though, since Thomas did not remain at Jesus’ side through…

  The words of the prophet Amos are much like Jesus’ statement, “To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away” (Matt 13:12). The Lord proclaims through his prophet that much has been expected of the Israelites because…