Pope Francis says that we are missionary disciples. The motto of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity is that every Catholic is called to be an apostle. From two different voices a clear message: our faith is not simply ours to hold onto but something meant to be shared, to be given freely… Read More »

When the exiles came back from Babylon the first order of business in the mind of the prophets was re-building of the temple. Let the governor and the elders of the Jews continue the work on that house of God; they are to rebuild it on its former site. However, the returning exiles had as… Read More »

In the lectionary, the book of Bible readings assigned to each day, the first lesson is taken either from the Old or New Testaments. Today we start reading from the Book of Ezra which reports the restoration of the Jewish people from their exile in Babylon to the Promised Land. This was possible because the… Read More »

Once upon a time a mother and son were walking along the beach. A rogue wave crashed down upon them and dragged the little boy out to sea. The mother was frantic, turned to God and fell on her knees praying. “Dear Lord,” she prayed, “save my boy. Bring him back to me. I will… Read More »

There is a saying, experience is the best teacher. That is not exactly true. It is reflecting on experience that teaches. Jesus taught in parables to invite his listeners to reflect on their experience. No doubt everyone in first century Galilee had seen a sower go out to sow. It only became revelatory when you… Read More »

Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, one of the founding fathers. He met in Philadelphia with the rest and worked as an ambassador to France, England and Holland while she kept their family together in Massachusetts. She was a great correspondent and her letters are very incisive. As her husband was trying to… Read More »

There is a wonderful painting by Caravaggio, cleverly called “The Call of St. Matthew.”  In very dramatic lighting Matthew is sitting at his tax desk, dressed in Renaissance finery, surrounded by his companions. Jesus is pictured as entering the counting house and pointing at Matthew. It captures the moment in the gospel: As Jesus passed… Read More »

Several years ago I was coordinator for a conference of the Missionary Servants — about 150 men — at a hotel. One of the men came up to me and said, “It’s too cold in here. Ask them to turn the AC down.” I said I would take care of it. About five minutes later… Read More »

Scholars speculate that the Epistles to Timothy were not penned by Paul himself but by one of his followers. They reflect a degree of organization in the Church that we recognize, bishops, deacons, elders (priests), unlike the more fluid church structures (apostles, prophets, teachers, miracle workers, administrators) in the assuredly Pauline letters like Corinthians and… Read More »

There is a perennial temptation in human affairs to glorify the “good old days.” You see it in today’s politics where some idealized, imagined past will be recovered if you only follow my program. Closer examination of that past shows it had just as many problems as we are currently having. St. Luke glorifies the… Read More »