Love, Mercy and Compassion over Law, Sacrifice and Compunction (Is 38:1-22:8; Is 38; Mt 12:1-8) ****************************************************** “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” That simple statement of Jesus in the gospel today invites us into deeper faith in him as God among us, and into a deeper understanding of what it means to believe in him and […]

An Invitation Like None Other (Is 26:7-19; Ps 102; Mt 11:28-30) *************************************** “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Some years ago, I received a similar invitation from my cousin Ron who lives in Florida. He is also the largest donor to our […]

Called to be Apostles (Amos 7:12-15; Eph 1:3-14; Mk 6:7-13) *********************************** Before he died, the founder of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate gave this advice to the members of his community: Dare to leave no stone unturned. Today, the gospel invites us to dare to see ourselves as apostles. Today’s gospel is the third call […]

Our Healing Journey of Faith (Is 6:1-8; Ps 93; Mt 10:24-33) ************************************** “Whoever acknowledges me, I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven.” That statement is a clear call to believe in Jesus. The readings add the dimension of forgiveness and healing to that call. Acknowledging Jesus, believing in Jesus entails a healing journey of […]

Ready to Evangelize (Hos 14:1-9; Ps 51; Mt 10:16-23) ******************************** “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves.” This statement from Jesus can be a little intimidating. However, if we are solidly grounded in the Father’s love experienced through forgiveness and healing, we can be missionary disciples ready to evangelize […]

God’s Ways Are Not Our Ways (Hos 11:1,3-5,8-9; Ps 80; Mt 10:7-15) ****************************************** A young lad, allowed by a storeowner to lick the molasses from an empty jar, decided he should pray first, “Lord, make my tongue adequate to this occasion!” Today’s liturgy invites us to respond to God’s love with a love that is […]

  Missionary Disciples – Memorial of St. Benedict (Hosea 10:1-3,7-8,12; Ps 105; Mt 10:1-7) ************************************************** A Jewish businessman sent his son to Jerusalem to get a good Jewish education, but he came home a Christian. Distraught, he took his problem to the chief rabbi, who told him he too had sent his son to Jerusalem, […]

Called To Be Prophets (Ezk 2:2-5; Ps 122; 2 Cor 12:7-10; Mk 6:1-6) ******************************************* Have you ever thought of yourself as a prophet? To be baptized into Jesus Christ means that we are all called to be prophets. Our baptismal call is often taken for granted. We know that we are baptized but we easily […]

Idol-free Living (Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13; Ps 115; Mt 9:32-38) ************************************** There is a sign at Fountain Park pool that says, “Keep this an idle-free zone.” Today, we are called to live in an idol-free zone; to trust the one true God with our lives, and to pray for more missionaries to spread that message. The […]

Covenant Love (Hos 2:14-16,19-20; Ps 145; Matt 9:18-26) *************************************** Have faith in Jesus; touch the hem of his garment, receive healing and share that life with others. There is a relational progression in the readings today. In the first reading from Hosea, God is like a lover tenderly calling Israel to come back to her […]