Farming has come a long way since the time of our Lord.  Today, farmers use huge tractors to plow and fertilize their fields, sophisticated GPS systems to increase their crop output and massive harvesters to bring in the ripened produce.  But, no matter how many advances modern technology affords to farmers, they face many of the same challenges and obstacles experienced by their ancient counterparts, not the least of which is the weather, something that even today no one can control or even accurately predict.  This past spring, for example, […]

Let me wish all of you a Happy 4^th of July, a day when we celebrate our independence from the oppressive yoke of British rule.  Unfortunately, this year, there is more fizzle than sizzle, as we continue to struggle under the yoke of the coronavirus pandemic.  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 goods.  We actually have an image of a […]

I like straight talkers.  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 predict.  Others fear what people are thinking or saying about them.  There is fear of heights, the dark, spiders, loneliness, etc.  During this ongoing coronavirus pandemic, everyone has some fear.  Fear can cause confusion, distress and even paralysis.

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