Suffering
The world hates suffering. Yet, in Isaiah we read, “The Lord was pleased to crush in infirmity.” Isaiah is speaking of the suffering servant who will save us from our sins. This is fulfilled in Jesus’ suffering as He undergoes…
Read More24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year BIsaiah 50:5-9aPsalm 116:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9 (9)James 2:14-18Mark 8:27-35September 15, 2024 Generally speaking, people want things to be easy. We think that if we “walk before the LORD,” it should be easy to be…
Read MoreJesus’ death on the Cross was “a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1 Corinthians 1:23). It was a “stumbling block to Jews” because it was not what they expected or wanted. Our first reading from Isaiah today…
Read MoreToday we celebrate Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, more simply known to many as “Palm Sunday.” We hear two gospels today. We begin Mass with the blessing of palms and a gospel recalling Jesus’ final entry into…
Read MoreI write this today as the northeast portion of our country is dealing with a major snowstorm. There are parts of eastern New York State that may see 2-3 inches/hour. Today, I am going to begin by talking about the…
Read MoreSomeone asked Jesus, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” What we all really want to know is how hard is it to be saved? Will my family and friends be saved? Will I will saved? Speaking through the…
Read MoreThis will be my fourth article inspired by Sam Guzman’s book, The Catholic Gentleman: Living Authentic Manhood Today (San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 2019). (For the previous articles see “Are You for Real?”, “More from “The Catholic Gentleman”, and “We Need to Stand for…
Read MoreToday’s first reading comes from the fourth of four passages in the Book of Isaiah that speak of a “suffering servant.” People see suffering as something terrible and to be avoided. However, in the first reading, regarding the suffering servant,…
Read MoreIn today’s first reading we hear, “Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training.” This…
Read MoreDifficult people…we probably have all dealt with difficult people in our lives. It isn’t easy or we won’t call them “difficult” people. There is no one single way to deal with all difficult people. It takes patience. It takes understanding.…
Read MoreLast week I posted an article, “Do People Understand What Jesus Does for Us?” In that article, I discussed Jesus’ action to save us from our sins. My inspiration for that article came from Clear and Simple: How to Have…
Read MoreJesus underwent great suffering for us during his Passion. The gospel readings on both Palm (Passion) Sunday and Good Friday tell the story of Jesus’ suffering from his entry into Jerusalem at the start of his final days through his…
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