Once again, let me wish all of you a Happy 4^th of July weekend as we celebrate the semiquincentennial of our independence from the oppressive yoke of British rule.  Unfortunately, this year, we find ourselves struggling under the yoke of oppressive heat and humidity, as well as the burden of a seriously divided nation.  The image of a yoke is not common in our urban culture, but I’m sure you’re all familiar with it.  It’s that wooden piece that keeps two oxen together as they plough a field or haul […]

I like straight talk.  I find it so much easier to address a situation if I know, up front, what the issues are and what we need to do.  Today, we hear our Lord offer us some straight talk and we all will do well to listen carefully.  Today’s gospel passage is another portion of the instructions Jesus gave his disciples before he sent them off as his apostles.  You will recall the difference between a disciple and an apostle.  A disciple is one who follows his teacher, carefully observing […]

Many of us spend a great deal of time and energy being afraid.  Some fear a past they cannot change or a future they cannot control.  Others fear what people are thinking or saying about them.  There is fear of heights, the dark, spiders, rejection, loneliness – all kinds of fears.  Fear can cause confusion, distress and even paralysis.

One of the constant messages of Sacred Scriptures is, “fear not!”  Whether it’s God speaking to Abraham as he calls him to leave his homeland or to Moses when he instructs him […]

In this morning’s Gospel, we hear Jesus tell his disciples to pray that the master of the harvest will send out laborers. Immediately after that, he invests them with authority over the evil spirits and sends them out to preach and to work miracles.

When we pray for more laborers in the vineyard, we might imagine that God will answer this prayer by calling more men into the priesthood or more women into religious life.  While we certainly need more good priests and sisters, this Gospel helps us to see that […]