Living In the Reign as Servants and Children of God (Rev 7:2-4, 9-14; Ps 24; 1 Jn 3:1-3; Mt 5:1-12) **************************************************** “It is heaven all the way to heaven.” This statement from St. Theresa of Avila, and our All Saints Liturgy today, invite us to live in the reign of God as servants and children […]

Word on Fire (Rm 6:19-23; Ps 1; Lk 12:49-53) ******************************** Word on Fire is what Robert Barron, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, calls his social media ministry. That title was probably inspired by the gospel of today, in which Jesus exclaims that he came to bring fire to the earth, and how […]

Instruments of Righteousness (Rm 6:12-18; Ps 124; Lk 12:39-48) ********************************* “Present yourselves to God as instruments of righteousness.” That sentence from the first reading to the Romans, the reading itself and the gospel combine to offer us a clear two-pronged message: let go of sin and do the will of God. In other words, be […]

Justified by Faith – St Paul of the Cross (Rm 3:21-30; Ps 130; Lk 11:47-54) ******************************************* Someone once said that if Christians wanted others to believe in their redeemer, they needed to act more redeemed. The readings today invite us to live the fullness of our redemption. St. Paul, in the first reading, becomes very […]

Listening and Obeying (Joel 3:12-21; Ps97; Lk 11:27-28) *************************************** “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” That statement from Jesus in today’s gospel needs a bit of tweaking for our society today that is full of sound bites, news clips, fake news and catchy headlines. We are challenged by […]

Commentaries on the Readings (Joel 1:13-2:2; Ps 9; Lk 11:15-26) ************************************** The readings today are a challenge to understand and break open, so I am going to lean on the commentaries to shed light on these difficult passages. The New Revised Standard Version of the bible informs us that Beelzebul was originally the title of […]

Persevering Prayer and Serving the Lord (Mal 3:13-20; Ps 1:1-4,6; Lk 11:5-13) **********************************************  A man and his wife are awakened at 3 o’clock in the morning by a loud pounding on the door. The man gets up and goes to the door where a drunken stranger, standing in the pouring rain, is asking for a […]

An Extreme Faith Makeover (Jonah 4:1-11; Ps 86; Lk 11:1-4) **************************************** “Extreme Makeover” TV shows that involve the transformation of a plain looking person into a stunning display of poise and beauty, or a run-down house into a work of art, all end with a “big reveal” of the finished product that impresses people. One […]

Genuine Repentance and Mature Prayer (Jonah 3:1-10; Ps 129; Lk 10:38-42) ************************************************ Usually the liturgists who choose the readings for the Eucharist try to find a link or connection between the reading and the gospel. Not so today – the readings provide us with two very distinct messages about repentance and about prayer. The wonderful, […]

Blessings, Gratitude and Praise (Col 3:12-17; Ps 113; Mt 7:7-12) ************************************** Years ago, a Trappist monk happened to make a comment on TV that stayed with me: “A grateful person is a happy person.” That simple statement can be an invitation on this Thanksgiving Day to count our blessings, be grateful and praise God for […]