Complaining is part of the human condition. The Hebrew children complain because God gave them bread from heaven instead of Chilean Sea Bass. Moses complained because of the complaints! Just kill me now, he prayed, so I won’t have to put up with the grumbling. In Jesus time the disciples complained because of Jesus’ unjust… Read More »
AUGUST62017
In St. Matthew’s Gospel the baptism of Jesus and the Transfiguration both are highlighted by a heavenly voice: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Jesus like all of us had as his starting point the unconditional love of God. It was bestowed upon him because of who he was and is bestowed… Read More »
AUGUST52017
In the Bible Moses describes the annual feasts that the Jewish people were to celebrate. The pilgrimage feasts of Passover, Weeks (in Greek, Pentecost, the fiftieth), and Booths. The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) is looked upon as especially holy. In addition to those annual feasts Moses commands that a year of Jubilee be celebrated… Read More »
AUGUST42017
A few years ago, Cardinal O’Connor of happy memory gave a talk describing an experience he had. He was walking down the street when he noticed a large African-American man walking toward him. He began to be frightened so he crossed to the other side of the street. The man did too. He kept walking… Read More »
AUGUST32017
Moses did “as the Lord had commanded.” All believers seek to follow the commands of God. When the commands are straightforward like “put up the tent pole” you can get a sense of accomplishment at a job well done. But the way to follow the commands of Jesus are not always as obvious. How to… Read More »
AUGUST22017
Because of the parable of Jesus we tend to think of our goal as attaining the pearl of great price even if it costs us everything. While that seems like a worthy goal did you notice that the parable as Jesus tells it begins, “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching….” It is… Read More »
AUGUST12017
Moses prayed: “Do come along in our company… and receive us as your own.” This prayer occurs after so much has happened — the ten plagues, the escape from Egypt, the passage through the Red Sea, the passage through the desert, repentance after making of the Golden Calf. You would think after that it would… Read More »
JULY312017
“They gave [the gold] to me, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.” Aaron’s answer to Moses about the origin of the golden calf sounds a lot like a modern politician saying “mistakes were made.” I remember in school someone went to the teacher holding the shattered glass, “It broke.”… Read More »
JULY302017
Jesus said in St. Matthew’s gospel that “every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.” (Was he describing himself?) One of the excesses of the post-Vatican II era was to imagine that only the… Read More »
JULY292017
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” You and I have heard many sermons on these words that say something to the effect that prayer is better than work. Mary is taken as… Read More »
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