We are tempted to consider Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem, but ignore His exit from the city. It is easy to join in the joyful celebrations of our faith. We go to Church on Christmas and Easter and leave full of warmth. Then we realize that the palms are followed by the passion. And the joy of experiencing the Presence of the Lord is followed by His demand to join Him in the journey of sacrificial love, in the journey up to Calvary.
March 19, 2013. During Pope Francis' Inauguration Mass, the Pontiff talked about caring for others, caring for the elderly, children the poor. But he also said that in order to protect others, one must never forget to nourish oneself spiritually
And through the clamor, she looked up, and saw the Lord looking at her. Compassion for her flowed through him. Nobody cared about her before. The man or men who used her sexually, didn’t care that she was going to die. The leaders of her people didn’t care about her. Her own family probably disowned her. But Jesus cared.
The parable of the Prodigal Son, Forgiving Father or Elder Brother, whatever, is calling us to reflect on the depth of our own commitment to the Lord, and our own determination to live His Love.
We have got to make the best use of every day that we are granted. We are each the fig tree in the parable. The Father owns the vineyard, the Son is the gardener giving us the ability to grow. The Spirit is the gifts that we have which will attract others. But we have free will. It is up to us to chose to bear fruit for the Lord.
We belong to the spiritual. We belong to God. We are made in the image and likeness of God. But the image of God, our capacity to be spiritual, is hidden deep within us. The Lord will reveal it, though, if we let Him.
If you get to the end of the day and can honestly say, “I had no temptations of any kind today,” you should take your pulse. You are probably dead. Jesus himself was tempted to accept the pleasures of the world rather than remain united to the Father.
We are called, we are sent, to lead people to meaning, to lead people to God. Whatever it is that we do in life, from something as major as marriage and parenting, to something as minor as finishing a school worksheet, we do it in service to God. Every action of our lives has purpose not just for ourselves but as beacons of hope for those who are seeking the Lord.
Jesus is in his home town synagogue, or what would be the equivalent of a synagogue in the first half of the first century. He reads from Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me....” and then concludes that “these words are fulfilled in your hearing.”
The readings for this Sunday lead us to a discussion about laws and codes of behavior. Many people in our times have demanded a freedom from all codes of moral conduct. How happy are these people? Can a person be a member of a family he or she loves and receive love from that family if that person flaunts the basic code for living in the family?
The husband must put his wife before himself. The wife must put her husband before herself. The needs of their children must come before the needs of the parents. This is sacrificial love, expressed countless times in the daily routine of the Catholic family.
When Jesus was baptized He accepted the Mission that was the whole reason why He became a man. He began His public ministry which would end in the destruction of sin and hate with obedience to the Father and love for His people. And John pointed to Jesus and said, “Look, there is the Lamb of God.”
We are all on the journey of life. Like the magi, we have a sense of where we need to go, but we cannot see the destination. Like the hikers, we know the peak is up there somewhere, but we cannot see it. We have a guide. It is not a star.Our guide is Jesus who leads us in the direction our lives need to travel.
On the Sunday after the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, Christmas, we consider the family. Now when we hear the title of the celebration, the Feast of the Holy Family, we are inclined to just dismiss the possibility that our families can be like the Holy Family.
Is there anything more exciting in our world than children waiting for Santa? Sure there is: a pregnant woman waiting for her little love to be born. Today’s Gospel presents two such women. Mary and Elizabeth are bursting with anticipation, with expectation.
On this Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday, we reflect on the Peace of the Lord. Jesus said in John 14:27: “Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace which the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”
Whose agenda are you following? Your own agenda or God’s agenda? Whose will are you doing? Your own will or God’s will? Whose kingdom are you building up? Your own kingdom or God’s kingdom? What about Mary in our Gospel?
We are in the heart of the gift purchasing season, Christmas shopping, probably most of us still have a long way to go. It is quite clear to me, that if we want to give someone a really great gift, what we should give them what Paul gave the Philippians, the love of Christ.
We don’t sing Christmas carols yet. In fact, the beginning of Advent presents the exact opposite of the sweet and syrupy Christmas sentiments. Advent begins not with cribs and shepherds and Silent Night, but with the prophecy that God will make a powerful intervention in human history.
Christ the King: Born to Testify to the Truth.Today’s Gospel is from the Gospel of John. This Gospel loves showing contrasting opinions and situations. To testify to the truth. That is what true royalty is about. This feast of Christ the King is about testifying to the truth. It is about integrity.
