The First Sunday of Lent [C]
Deut 26:4-10  +  Rom 10:8-13  +  Lk 4:1-13
March 10, 2019

He brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand and outstretched arm….

There are many different types of freedom.  For example, sometimes we want to be free from the influence that another person holds over us.  Sometimes we want to be free from a job, or from an agreement we’ve made with someone, or from an assignment that we’ve been handed.  But that’s not the type of freedom that Jesus gave up his life to offer us. Continue reading →

Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time [I]
Sirach 17:20-24  +  Mark 10:17-27
March 4, 2019

“How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God!”

Why is it hard “for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God”?  The Church does not teach that human wealth is evil in and of itself.  Some mistakenly think that Scripture says that money is the root of all evil.  But the correct quote from Saint Paul is that “the love of money is the root of all evils” [1 Timothy 6:10].  Nonetheless, that begs the question:  what is it about the love of money that tempts the wealthy away from the Kingdom of God? Continue reading →

The Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]
Sir 27:4-7  +  1 Cor 15:54-58  +  Lk 6:39-45
March 3, 2019

“Remove the wooden beam from your eye first….”

When you make your nightly examination of conscience, and prepare monthly for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, there’s a simple way to recollect yourself.  After all, if it’s been a long day or an even longer month, you might feel unsure how best to assess your efforts—or failures—to live your life in Christ. Continue reading →

Monday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time [I]
Sirach 1:1-10  +  Mark 9:14-29
February 25, 2019

…they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them.

Today’s Gospel scene takes place immediately after the Transfiguration.  There on Mount Tabor Peter had wanted to stay, saying, “Master, it is good for us to be here.  Let us make three booths….”  But Jesus teaches Peter that it was not for transfiguration that He came into this world.  In today’s Gospel passage Jesus descends the mountain and enters into conflict between His disciples and the scribes, resuming the ministry for which He became Flesh and dwelt among us. Continue reading →

The Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]
1 Sam 26:2,7-9,12-13,22-23  +  1 Cor 15:45-49  +  Lk 6:27-38
February 24, 2019

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Today’s Scripture passages consider one of the paradoxes about the church that Jesus founded:  its rank and file members are both saints and sinners.  The Church is indeed the Body of Christ, but that body’s members are weak human beings.  In other words, while the Church is a divine institution, it’s also a human institution. Continue reading →

Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time [I]
Genesis 4:1-15,25  +  Mark 8:11-13
February 18, 2019

He sighed from the depth of His spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign?”

Do we search for heavenly signs as assurance that we are on the right path in life?  Today’s Gospel passage, brief and to the point, ought to make us realize how pointless such a search is.  Jesus’ sigh—”from the depth of His Spirit”—speaks volumes.  His departure from the midst of the Pharisees show his recognition that even His divine words do nothing for one unwilling to listen in to Him in faith.  Christ asks us to dedicate each day to him in faith. Continue reading →

The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]
Jer 17:5-8  +  1 Cor 15:12,16-20  +  Lk 6:17,20-26
February 17, 2019

“Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!”

It’s hard to confuse the choices presented in today’s Scripture readings.  The sharp contrast between the blessings and maledictions proclaimed by the prophet Jeremiah and our Lord Jesus offer only two choices:  life or death, blessing or woe.  Even more important, though, is the fact that the Christian’s choice must be rooted in the divine virtue of hope.  “Blessed are they who hope in the Lord”, we proclaim in today’s Responsorial Psalm. Continue reading →

Monday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time [I]
Genesis 1:1-19  +  Mark 6:53-56
February 11, 2019

God saw how good it was.

In today’s First Reading the Church proclaims the first nineteen verses of the Bible.  The Church proclaims the First Reading at weekday Mass from Genesis for almost two weeks during Ordinary Time:  this week and next.  Today and tomorrow the First Readings present the narrative of God’s six days of creation, and His rest on the seventh. Continue reading →

The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]
Isa 6:1-2,3-8  +  1 Cor 15:1-11 [or 15:3-8,11]  +  Lk 5:1-11
February 10, 2019

“Be not afraid.”

In the year of Our Lord 64, Saint Peter laid down his life for the Church.  Some thirty years after the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus, Peter was held prisoner in the city of Rome, as was his fellow apostle Paul.  Both had been taken there in chains, to that city which was the center of the known world.  It was the capital of the greatest empire in existence, and a city which from Jerusalem appeared to be “the ends of the earth”.  Yet it was the center not only of the empire, but also of paganism.  The temples dedicated to Roman gods were numerous, scattered throughout Rome.  In the center of the city was the Pantheon, dedicated to all the pagan gods. Continue reading →