Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time [I]
Exodus 1:8-14,22  +  Matthew 10:34—11:1
July 17, 2017

“The Egyptians, then, dreaded the children of Israel and reduced them to cruel slavery….”

Today we begin at weekday Mass to hear from the Book of Exodus.  We’ll continue to hear from this book for about three weeks.  Today’s passage from Exodus is from its first chapter.  Moses does not appear.  What we hear today forms the backdrop for his entrance. Continue reading →

The Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time [A]
Isaiah 55:10-11  +  Romans 8:18-23  +  Matthew 13:1-23
July 16, 2017

“‘And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up.’”

Humility is the foundation of the spiritual life.  Because of this foundation, the Lord God can dwell more fully within us.  In today’s Gospel parable, “A sower went out to sow.”  Now either this sower is foolish, or he knows something that we don’t know.  If you were driving down a paved road, and came up behind a farmer driving his tractor and drill, dropping seed for miles onto the asphalt, you’d be concerned for him.  Doesn’t he know he’s wasting his time, energy, and money, in addition to probably ruining his drill?

But the sower in Jesus’ parable acts in a similar way:  “…as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up.”  Later on in the same chapter of Matthew, Jesus explains “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 his heart.”

This is the first of four illustrations that Jesus paints in today’s parable.  The first three illustrations are pictures of the sower laboring in vain, because of the path, rocky ground, and thorns.  Only the fourth illustration describes seed falling on rich soil, producing fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Continue reading →

St. Bonaventure, Bishop & Doctor of the Church
Genesis 49:29-32; 50:15-26  +  Matthew 10:24-33
July 15, 2017

“‘…not one [sparrow] falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.’”

Jesus preaches today about Our Father’s providential knowledge and will.  God knows all things.  We know this abstractly, but perhaps we fail to consider all that this truth of our Faith means. Continue reading →

St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin
Genesis 46:1-7,28-30  +  Matthew 10:16-23
July 14, 2017

“‘Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves….’”

Jesus was always realistic during His earthly life.  So it’s no surprise that He says to His Apostles, “I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves”.   His words were true in the first century, and are so also today. Continue reading →

Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time [I]
Genesis 44:18-21,23b-29;45:1-5  +  Matthew 10:7-15
July 13, 2017

“‘Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words—go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.’”

One of the items on my “bucket list” is to spend a considerable amount of time writing about The City of God by St. Augustine of Hippo.  He lived in a cultural setting similar to ours.  The book is a contrast between the City of God and the city of man.  His comparison of the two leads to many reflections on the nature of divine Providence.  Many of these reflections consider how God chooses to bring moral good out of moral evil. Continue reading →

Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time [I]
Genesis 41:55-57;42:5-7,17-24 +  Matthew 10:1-7
July 12, 2017

“Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority….”

Today’s Gospel passage speaks about reaching out to those who are hurt and sick.  We hear Jesus sending his twelve apostles to go out and heal “every disease and every illness.”  More than just a prophet, Jesus has authority not only to call back the repentant to Himself, but also to heal them. Continue reading →

If you’re in or near south-central Kansas, I encourage you to attend the Summer Symposium this Thursday and Friday at the Spiritual Life Center in Wichita. The theme this year is “Conversion & Conscience”. Each year, the theme is tackled from four perspectives: Doctrine, Spirituality, Literature, and Catholic Living. I’m offering the Literature talks, focusing upon G. K. Chesterton, the great 20th c. British journalist and apologist. No less a figure than C. S. Lewis credited Chesterton’s book The Everlasting Man with moving him from agnosticism to Christian orthodoxy. Chesterton himself was a convert, so his approach to the Roman Catholic Faith is especially interesting for those who want to know how to encourage others along the roads that lead across the Tiber to Rome.

Click on the image of Chesterton below to link to the SLC’s Symposium page:

St. Benedict, Abbot
Genesis 32:23-33  +  Matthew 9:32-38
July 11, 2017

“‘…the harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few….’”

We usually associate the cry that Jesus utters in today’s Gospel passage with the need for vocations in the Church.  But Jesus also speaks through these words about the harvest of one’s own heart, and the fruits of one’s individual soul.  In each person is a soul created by God, and each soul is capable of being completely filled, as much as its capacity allows:  to be “perfected” by God’s grace. Continue reading →

Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time [I]
Genesis 28:10-22  +  Matthew 9:18-26
July 10, 2017

“‘Courage, daughter!  Your faith has saved you.’”

In today’s Gospel passage are two people who see how God wants to be in their lives in time of need.  So many people turn to Christ in need.  When we are honest with ourselves, we know that we would like to ask Christ’s help for so many things in our lives.  It’s true that petitionary prayer—in which we ask for something from God—is not as selfless a form of prayer as adoration.  But God wants us to present our petitions to Him. Continue reading →