Suffering and Service (Jer 18:18-20; Ps 31; Mt 20:17-28) ************************************* Activist Daniel Berrigan once stated that before deciding to follow Jesus, we should consider how good we look on wood! The message from today’s readings is simple and straightforward: following Jesus will involve suffering and service. This is not your usual promo for a career. […]

Giving and Receiving – Gospel Karma (Dan 9:3-10; Ps 79; Lk 6:36-38) ******************************************* The last line of today’s gospel (the measure we give is the measure we get) seems like a throw-away line, but in his homily for today, Ron Rolheiser pointed out the importance of this line. Every world religion has either a law […]

Lent, A Journey of Transformation (Genesis 22:1-2, 9-13, 15-18; Psalm 116; Romans 8:31b-35, 37; Mark 9:2-10) **************************************************************** A couple married for 25 years were also celebrating their 60th birthday.  During the celebration a fairy appeared and said that because they had been such a loving couple all those years, she would give them one wish […]

Seeking the Kingdom of Love (Dt 26:16-19; Ps 119; Mt 5:43-48) ******************************************* Years ago, John Lennon sang, “All you need is love.” Although the kind of love that he was singing about probably does not speak to the kingdom that Jesus teaches us about, he was right – life is all about love and love, […]

Repentance, Reconciliation, Righteousness, Relationships (Ezk 18:21-28; Ps 130; Mt 5:20-26) ************************************************** Four “R” words sum up the readings for today: Repentance leads to reconciliation which leads to righteousness that in the end results in restored relationships. Sinners who repent and become righteous (in a right relationship with God, others, themselves and all of God’s creation) […]

(1 Pt 5:1-4; Ps 23; Mt 16:13-19) ********************************** This is one of the rare moments when we can actually sing the “Gloria” during Lent. The reason is the feast of the Chair of St. Peter. This feast invites us to emulate Peter’s faith, fidelity and ministry. According to the Living With Christ commentary on this […]

Will Power and the Power of God’s Word (Is 55:10-11; Ps 34;Mt 6:7-15) *************************************************** Will of God and Word of God – two expressions that capture the essence of today’s readings. They present us with a clear message: listen to God’s Word and strive to do God’s will. The first reading speaks eloquently about the […]

Doing the Works of Mercy (Lev 19:1-18; Ps 19; Mt 25:31-46) ************************************* Did you know that today’s first reading contains the one sentence that Jesus used to give us a new commandment? The two readings combine to flesh out that command: be holy, love and care. In the first reading, God speaks to Moses and […]

Living Good News (Genesis 9:8-15; Psalm 25; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:12-15 ) ********************************************************** Two movies speak to the readings today. The first, most obviously, would be Noah, which more or less literally portrays how Noah and his family are snatched out of a wicked world to hopefully begin anew, almost against Noah’s own worldview. […]

Lent – a Time of Repentance and Healing (Joel 2:12-18; Psalm 51; 2Cor 5:20-6:2; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18) ********************************************************* A dishonest painter hired to paint a church building thinned his paint with water. As long as it didn’t rain he would be okay he thought. That night there was a rainstorm. He ran to the Church […]