“Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi.”  Today’s Gospel begins in a somewhat unusual way.  Rather than starting with the typical “Jesus began to teach them,” or “Jesus told his disciples another parable,” it starts with a statement about geography, about a particular city called Caesarea Philippi.  I’ve been there and can tell you that it’s well worth visiting; it’s a popular tourist attraction.  That’s because, well before the time of Jesus, this area was an important spot along one of the major trade routes from the east to […]

How would you respond if I asked you to have someone describe you in four words?  Well, you might respond, it would depend on how well this person knew and understood you and how qualified the person was to provide a valid description.  For example, if a newspaper critic wrote about a concert pianist with these four words, “He was a failure,” you might think, well that was just his opinion.  But, if one of the world’s greatest musicians declared, “He was a genius,” then you are apt to take […]

As those of you who have been in this parish more than 12 years know, I was assigned here in April 2011 – on Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion – as parochial administrator after your pastor at that time, Msgr. John Close had been placed on administrative leave while an allegation that he had sexually abused a minor some decades ago was being processed through a report to law enforcement and eventual canonical investigation.  I didn’t know Msgr. Close at all – I only had one dinner meeting with […]

How about that billion dollar Powerball jackpot that someone recently won; can you imagine that you just won that?  Or, as we heard in today’s gospel account, imagine unearthing a great treasure or a pearl of great price while digging in your garden or shopping at a local flea market.  Stories of buried treasure, sudden wealth, magic wishes and dreams that come true are among the oldest and most universal fables in human culture.  Even the thought of sudden wealth quickens the pulse and stirs the imagination.  What if?  Would […]

“How was your vacation?”  Or, “Have you gone on vacation yet?”  That seems to be the topic of the day every summer but especially this summer as we finally break the grip of the coronavirus pandemic.  The news is filled with reports of record numbers of people traveling at last.  And, the important question is always the destination; where you’re going.  Today, we have the privilege of hearing Jesus present three rather intriguing parables.  These parables teach us about the kingdom of God – our ultimate destination.  Let’s take a […]

I want to start off by commending you for coming to Mass this morning.  It’s a miserable day, hot, humid, muggy, rainy, a good day to just stay home and read a good book, watch television or troll the internet for a sale; not a good day to go anywhere – but you’re here; good for you.  So, why did you come here this morning?  It’s because you’re the seed that’s fallen on rich soil.  You have heard God’s word and understood that it is important to you.  You recognize […]

It is every parent’s dream.  It goes like this.  Your child is a guest at someone’s home for dinner; maybe it’s a friend or a relative.  When the meal is over, your child is the one who, without being asked, rises from the table, grabs some plates, takes them into the kitchen and puts them either in the sink or in the dishwasher.  What parent doesn’t live with the secret hope that your ten thousand nudges to your kids “pick that up” and “put that in the trash” and “did […]

How many of you were captivated by the search of the submersible Titan this week?  As a scuba diver and one who loves the deep blue sea, it certainly caught my attention.  The dangerous drama of those five adventurous men inside this tiny, 22-foot-long experimental vessel traveling 13,000 feet into the darkness of the deep to catch a momentary glimpse of the Titanic that has been resting on the ocean floor for over a hundred years was riveting and the fear of their loss from either hypothermia or lack of […]

After celebrating some of the great feasts of our faith – Pentecost, the Trinity and the Body and Blood of our Lord – we now return to ordinary time, time ordered by God for our salvation.  And, we return to hearing from the Gospel of Matthew, the gospel that is featured throughout this liturgical year.  The passage we hear this evening follows Matthew’s presentation of our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount.  Great crowds are following Jesus now as he goes from town to town because they were impressed by his […]

Today, we celebrate Pentecost, the third most important day of our liturgical year.  On Christmas we celebrated the birth of Jesus, the Son of God who became the son of Mary.  On Easter we celebrated his victorious resurrection from death.  Today, we celebrate his giving of the Holy Spirit.  This is presented on two occasions, according to Sacred Scriptures: on Easter day and on the Jewish Feast of Pentecost; we hear of both events in this evening’s readings.

As we just heard from the reading taken from the Gospel of John, […]