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I have been reading Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) for the last couple of weeks (I read slowly as I reflect over the text). I just read paragraph 227 and was deeply struck by it. I think it…
Read MoreThe Transfiguration of the Lord, Year A Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 9-12 2 Peter 1:16-19 Matthew 17:1-9 There are times in the gospels when Jesus goes off alone to pray. Generally, we are not told of what Jesus…
Read MoreThis week our calendar of saints has included saints who were founders of religious orders. On Monday, July 31st, we celebrated the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola who founded the Jesuit order (S.J., who run McQuaid high school in…
Read More17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A 1 Kings 3:5:7-12 Psalm 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130 Romans 8:28-30 Matthew 13:44-52 Jesus says, “The kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure” so valuable that one who finds it “sells all that…
Read More16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Wisdom 12:13, 16-19 Psalm 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16 Romans 8:26-27 Matthew 13:24-43 Today Jesus speaks to us about weeding, a task common to many people. We are fortunate to have a couple of dedicated…
Read MoreToday’s first reading continues the story of Moses’ encounter with God in the burning bush. God told Moses that he would send him to rescue the Israelites from Egypt. Moses asked whom should he tell them sent him. For us…
Read MoreThose of you who are regular readers of my blog might notice that the title of this article is “Some Thoughts on the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A” as compared to the normal title including the word “homily.”…
Read More14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Zechariah 9:9-10 Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14 Romans 8:9, 11-13 Matthew 11:25-30 Giving praise to God is a recurring theme in today’s readings. Our reading from Zechariah calls us to “shout for joy.” …
Read MoreBack on June 22nd I wrote about St. John Fisher, St. Thomas More and the “Fortnight for Freedom.” That “Fortnight for Freedom” began on June 21st. It ends today on July 4th, the day we, in the United States, celebrate…
Read More13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A 2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16a Psalm 89:2-3, 16-17, 18-19 Romans 6:3-4, 8-11 Matthew 10:37-42 The Fourth Commandment tells us to “honor our father and mother” but today Jesus says, “Whoever loves father or mother…
Read MoreAs I began reflecting upon today’s gospel and the idea of “bearing good fruit” I thought about how it takes time to bear fruit. If we plant a seed we know it will take time for the seed to grow…
Read MoreStop judging, these are the first words Jesus says to his disciples in today’s gospel. Jesus goes on to tell us that we will be judged by the same standard by which we judge others. He also tells us we…
Read MoreThe Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a Psalm 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 John 6:51-58 Moses speaks to the Israelites of how they were “afflicted with hunger” and God fed them “with manna, a food…
Read MoreThe Most Holy Trinity Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9 Daniel 3:52-55 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 John 3:16-18 Last week we celebrated Pentecost and the gift of the Holy Spirit and that brought our Easter season to a close. That means we are now…
Read MorePentecost Acts 2:1-11 Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 John 20:19-23 Our Easter Season draws to a close today with our celebration of Pentecost but we should never think of Pentecost as simply an end to…
Read MoreLast night I was watching the NASCAR truck race. Johnny Sauter won the race and in victory lane on national TV said it was great to win in the month of June, the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,…
Read MoreThis weekend I had the pleasure of announcing at Mass that, for the first time in long as anyone remembers, our parish reached our Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA) goal. You can read the letter Bishop Matano wrote to our parish…
Read More7th Sunday of Easter, Year A Acts 1:12-14 Psalm 27:1, 4, 7-8 (13) 1 Peter 4:13-16 John 17:1-11a On Thursday we celebrated Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven. This marked an important moment as the disciples saw him ascend on the cloud…
Read MoreI’ve titled this article “Why Do We Celebrate the Ascension ‘Today’? but even the title needs a short explanation. I put “today” in single quote marks because not everyone is celebrating the Ascension today. Some dioceses move it to the…
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