“There was a famine in the land.”  That’s how the section just before the passage we hear in today’s first reading begins and it’s important for us to know this as we listen to today’s first reading.  At a time when travel was difficult and transcontinental transport was extremely expensive – you couldn’t go to your local ACME to pick up lamb chops from New Zealand or blueberries from Chile, or anything else you wanted for your next meal – everyone was dependent on the local rains to survive.  So, […]

“In him we were chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ.”  I’m sure you’re all familiar with a form of prayer called “lectio divina.”  It’s a very simple and effective way to deep prayer and it involves selecting a passage in the Bible for reflection, meditation, prayer, resting in God and finally, action according to God’s plan.  I use […]

God, our creator, is at work every moment of our lives.  Today’s Scriptures offer us the opportunity to reflect on the many ways in which God has worked in the lives of people as his plan for our salvation unfolds throughout history even until today, right here, with each of us.  In the second reading and the Gospel in particular, we see how the healing ministry of Jesus affected the lives of the people of his time and affects our lives as well, if only we have faith.

Our first […]