“See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called children of God.” As we heard in today’s second reading, we are privileged to be called God’s children; we become his children as his Spirit comes upon us at our baptism. And, as with any good parent, God wants us to be happy and to achieve our goals. And, as any loving father would do, God our Father has given us clear direction on how we are to reach our final goal – heaven. He has […]
Emergency Aid to Hurricane and Wildfire Victims
As if the coronavirus pandemic doesn’t already have us in its fearful grip as the daily count of those infected and killed continues to rise, it seems that very day we hear more tragic stories about new hurricanes obliterating towns in Florida and throughout the Gulf Coast and the seemingly endless wildfires throughout the west. Just as we probably all know someone who has been stricken – and, perhaps, even killed – by COVID-19, we probably have family and friends living in […]
What is love? Each of us probably has our own understanding of love, as well as varying experiences of loving or being loved. We need love as much as we need the air we breathe. So, it’s important to ask ourselves: what is love? Is it just an emotion, or a virtue? Is it chemistry or a psychological commitment, or is it a rational decision? As Catholics we will find the answer by looking to Jesus and his teachings. And, as you know, Jesus came to fulfill the law and […]
“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” (Mt. 22: 21). As we heard in last week’s Gospel, when some of the religious leaders try to trap Jesus with a question about whether or not to pay the Roman taxes, Jesus reminds his listeners that everything belongs to God; after all, he is the creator of the universe and gives us all that we have. We read in the Bible that, after God had created the heavens and the earth, he planted a garden […]
Wow – those scribes and Pharisees were slow to learn, weren’t they!?! Over the past three weeks, we’ve heard Jesus try to teach them about their disobedience, avarice and indifference toward God and today, instead of repenting and turning back to God, we hear them plot against him. Let’s quickly review. Three weeks ago, we heard Jesus speak to them through the parable of the man who asked his two sons to go work in his vineyard. You’ll recall that the first son said “yes” but did not go; the […]
“Go, make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:19). After Jesus overcame death by his Resurrection, he did not just return to heaven to sit at the right of the Father. Before ascending to the Father, he commissioned those who had come to believe in him to make disciples, that is, others who would come to believe in the one, true God and his son, Jesus, who came to save us. That is the ongoing mission of the Church; we are the […]
I hope you paid careful attention to today’s readings, especially the first reading and the Gospel. If you did, you noticed that both of these readings tell of a wonderful banquet. Just reading the first line from Isaiah makes my mouth water: “On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wine.” Who wouldn’t want to join in that feast? But, we hear in the Gospel that those who are initially invited refuse […]