Live Calvary in Slow Motion (Acts 20:17-27; Ps 68; Jn17:1-11a) ********************************** When someone is dying, we pay special attention to his or her last words. In the readings today, both Jesus and St. Paul are saying farewell – Jesus to his apostles, and Paul to the elders of Ephesus. In a sense, both are giving […]

Chosen to Love (Acts 1:15-17, 20-26; Ps 113; Jn 15:6-17) ****************************************** Two words almost leap out at us in today’s readings: “chosen” and “love.” Putting them together, we get the message from this feast day of St. Matthias that we are Chosen to Love. In the first reading, the apostles feel the necessity to choose […]

Living and Sharing our Faith (Acts 1:1-11; Ps 47; Eph 1:17-23; Mk 16:15-20) ********************************************** CH _ _ CH – What’s missing? The answer is U R! If you are not worshipping with the faith community on Sunday, it is incomplete. St. Paul closes off the second reading with a key line – we are the […]

On Being Missionary Disciples (Acts 18:23-28; Ps 47; Jn 16:23-28) ************************************ God is good – all the time! All the time – God is good! That saying, popular with foreign-born priests, underlines the message from today’s readings: God is good, so believe in Him, love Him and be a missionary disciple spreading that good news. […]

Joyful Suffering (Acts 18:9-18; Ps 47; Jn 16:20-23) ************************************* “You will have pain, but your pain will be turned into joy.” Today’s gospel invites us into a radical stance towards suffering and pain – to see it as redemptive, full of purpose, and even a source of joy. Jesus uses the image of childbirth to […]

Singing A New Song (Acts 18:1-8; Ps 98: Jn 16:16-20) ********************************* Are you singing a new song? The readings today invite us to sing a new song, that could be expressed this way: “Jesus is Risen; The Spirit is Given; We are Forgiven!” In the first reading, we see Paul doing what Paul constantly did […]

Faith: Lived Out or Just Worn? (Acts 17:15, 22-18:1; Ps 148; Jn 16:12-15) **************************************** Are we just wearing our faith, or truly living it? The readings today invite us to have a mature, genuine faith in God as Trinitarian relationship and Jesus as Risen Lord that will make a difference in our lives. Rose is […]

Abiding and Loving – The Way to Joy (Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48; 1 Jn 4:7-10; Jn 15:9-17) ******************************************************** Henri Thoreau once said most people live lives of quiet desperation. What a sad statement! What has happened to our ability to experience joy? Would you like to live a more joyful life? The liturgy today offers […]

Steadfast Faith and Love (Acts 16:1-10; Psalm 100; Jn 15:18-21) ***************************************** In the gospel, Jesus warns that as he was misunderstood and persecuted, his followers will also be misunderstood and persecuted. We must pray for the faith to stay faithful in the light of that persecution. Karl Rahner, commenting on Jesus’ prayer on the cross, […]

Living and Praying the Paschal Mystery (1 Cor 15:1-8; Ps 19; Jn 14:6-14) ***************************************** Today’s first reading begins with St. Paul reminding his readers of the Good News that he proclaimed to them in which they were “standing,” and by which they were “being saved.” That Good News is ours to “stand in” as well. […]