Discipleship
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year CAmos 8:4-7Psalm 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8, (see 1a, 7b)1 Timothy 2:1-8Luke 16:1-13September 18, 2022 The role of a steward is to manage the property and finances of the owner. Thus, in squandering the rich’s man…
Read MoreHow much stuff do you have? How much stuff do you have that you don’t need? Why? Sometimes it is simply that we accumulate stuff over time and, if we aren’t forced to go through it, we forget about it…
Read More“Great crowds were traveling with Jesus.” Maybe they had seen him cure people. Maybe they saw him drive out demons. Maybe they had heard him preach and wanted to hear more. What does it mean to truly follow Jesus? How…
Read MoreWe have Ten Commandments. It isn’t easy to follow all ten. Sometimes we struggle with just one. Imagine what it would be like to follow 613 commandments. Why 613? Because that is how many the Jews were taught in the…
Read MoreHow is your anger? Would others describe you as short-tempered or as having a short-fuse? Do you feel like you struggle with having enough patience? You are not alone. Dr. Ray Guarendi (known as Dr. Ray on radio and tv)…
Read MoreIt is no secret that we live in a world with suffering and challenges. We may feel like we are being put to the test in our sufferings. We may fear some of the challenges we face in the world.…
Read MoreSome people see the Bible as outdated. It is not. It is God’s Word and it is a living word, still relevant to us today. In recent days the first reading at daily Mass has been from the Book of…
Read More17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year CEcclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17 (95:8)Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11Luke 12:13-21July 31, 2022 Many people had come to Jesus for healing or to be freed from demons. Today someone offers a different request,…
Read More16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year CGenesis 18:1-10aPsalm 15:2-3, 3-4, 5 (1a)Colossians 1:24-28Luke 10:38-42July 17, 2022 Abraham loved the Lord. Today we hear of a time when “the LORD appeared to Abraham” but Abraham did not know it was the…
Read More14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year CIsaiah 66:10-14cPsalm 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20 (1)Galatians 6:14-18Luke 10:1-12, 17-20July 3, 2022 We are called to be a missionary church. This means we are to share the gospel and God’s mercy with others.…
Read More13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C1 Kings 19:16b, 19-21Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11 (see 5a)Galatians 5:1, 13-18Luke 9:51-62June 26, 2022 Today’s gospel passage begins a new section in Luke’s gospel that will continue until the time for Jesus’…
Read MoreThis is my sixth and final article offering reflections based on my reading of Judith Valente’s book, How to Live: What the Rule of St. Benedict Teaches Us About Happiness, Meaning, and Community (Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Roads Publishing. 2018). You can see…
Read MoreThis is my fourth article offering some reflections based on my reading of Judith Valente’s book, How to Live: What the Rule of St. Benedict Teaches Us About Happiness, Meaning, and Community (Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Roads Publishing. 2018). You can see the…
Read MoreAs I continue my series of articles offering some reflections based on my reading of Judith Valente’s book, How to Live: What the Rule of St. Benedict Teaches Us About Happiness, Meaning, and Community (Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Roads Publishing. 2018) (See my…
Read More7th Sunday of Easter, Year CActs 7:55-60 Psalm 97:1-2, 6-7, 9 (1a, 9a)Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20John 17:20-26 May 29, 2022 Jesus knew He was about to be arrested, tried, and crucified. The Gospel of John presents in chapters 14-17 Jesus’…
Read MoreLast week I started a new series of articles reflecting on Judith Valente’s book How to Live: What the Rule of St. Benedict Teaches Us About Happiness, Meaning, and Community (Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Roads Publishing. 2018) with my article, “Being Spiritual in…
Read More“This is a book about living. Not about surviving, but living a balanced, meaningful, and attentive life” (1). These are Judith Valente’s opening words in her book How to Live: What the Rule of St. Benedict Teaches Us About Happiness,…
Read MoreAs we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Easter in Year C, our first reading continues to come from the Acts of the Apostles. The Acts of the Apostles tells the story of the early church. In chapter 2 the disciples…
Read MoreToday a letter I wrote, with comments and suggestions from staff, will be going out to all our parishioners in the two parishes I serve. While it is with St. Mary’s of the Lake and St. Benedict’s in mind, I…
Read More3rd Sunday of Easter, Year CActs 5:27-32; 40b-41 Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13 (2a) Revelation 5:11-14John 21:1-19 May 1, 2022 Last week we heard how the disciples gathered in the locked room for fear of the Jews. This happened…
Read MoreWe need God’s mercy. Our world is in need of God’s mercy and we need it as individuals. We are human beings who are not perfect. At times we fall short of doing good and we need forgiveness. As look…
Read MoreWhat do you want from Jesus? Do you come to Mass on Sunday looking for an hour of peace? Mass should bring us “peace” but not simply as an escape from everything else going on in our lives. In faith,…
Read More2nd Sunday of Lent, Year CGenesis 15:5-12, 17-18Psalm 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14 (1a)Philippians 3:17-4:1Luke 9:28b-36March 13, 2022 Peter, James, and John “saw his glory.” Imagine getting to see Jesus transfigured into glory as we will see him in Heaven. It…
Read MoreWe are a full two years into the Coronavirus pandemic. Many of us have been worn out by the pandemic. We are tired of shutdowns, social distancing, and facemasks as well as the polarization over these. Presently, there is good…
Read MoreOur first reading today is taken from the Book of Deuteronomy. The Israelites were preparing to cross into the promised land. It has been a long time since Jacob brought his family to Egypt in a time of drought. They…
Read More