There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. You can imagine that first generation of Christians thinking, “Oh no. Persecution. This is terrible.” However, as the story unfolds it was the persecution that occasioned the initial growth of the Church, rippling… Read More »
APRIL162024
The deacon Stephen is the first of the followers of Jesus to die. St. Luke in the Acts of the Apostles shapes his death as an imitation of the death of Jesus and as a model for the deaths of all Christians which follow. First, we prepare for death by seeing that we are in… Read More »
APRIL152024
Cardinal Newman said that to grow is to change and to become perfect is to have changed often. But change is hard. Jesus asked his followers to change so that they could better reflect their dignity as children of God. The first followers of Jesus asked their contemporaries to change following the example of Jesus.… Read More »
APRIL142024
“You are witnesses of these things.” From courtroom dramas like Perry Mason and Law and Order we know what it means to be a witness. A witness has seen something happen and then testifies to what he or she saw. “Just tell the court what you observed on the night in question in your own… Read More »
APRIL132024
At the Last Supper Jesus prayed, “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” Jesus is probably still praying that prayer since from the beginning right up to today we have not achieved the unity he prayed for. Instead we find fussing and feuding.… Read More »
APRIL122024
For the next week the gospel assigned for each day is from John 6 which scholars call the Bread of Life discourse. The Church includes this chapter in the Easter season because the Bread of Life which we receive in the Eucharist is our direct connection with the Resurrection. The chapter starts off with the… Read More »
APRIL112024
While we certainly agree with St. Peter, “We must obey God,” there are lots of caveats that surround such a statement. After all, the Crusaders thought they were obeying God, the Inquistors, the Conquistadors, the Slave owners. The 9/11 terrorists claimed to be obeying God. In fact, we look back at those situations and see… Read More »
APRIL102924
God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. It is the will of God that all be saved. However, Jesus warns us that we must accept the salvation offered to us, nothing is forced upon us. The light came into the… Read More »
APRIL92024
As a young priest I was in charge of the youth group of the parish. We used to stage a mock trial: is there enough evidence to convict you of being a Christian? We had a prosecutor, defense attorney, judge and jury who would pronounce a verdict. What was fascinating was how the trial progressed.… Read More »
APRIL82024
Yesterday the gospel was the story of Doubting Thomas. We thank God for his doubts because they help us to understand the Risen Jesus better. Today when the Church celebrates the feast of the Annunciation we have a similar story of doubt. When the Angel Gabriel announces to young Mary that she was to “conceive… Read More »
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