In the Gospels we find “the Great Commandment” of Jesus — love God and love neighbor. But St. Mark tells the story by quoting from the beginning of the pericope, Deutronomy 4:6. “Hear, O Israel: the LORD is our God, the LORD is One.” The imperative, therefore, is not to love but to hear. Love… Read More »

The last prayer of the day in the Liturgy of the Hours, the official prayer book of the Church, reads: May almighty God grant us a restful night and a peaceful death. Not every death is peaceful. We read in the Book of Tobit how both Tobit and his future daughter-in-law, Sarah, prayed for death… Read More »

The Campus Crusade for Christ, a non-denominational Protestant college program, loved to recruit Catholics. When I was at LSU they challenged me to a debate. I could answer them “chapter and verse” and so the argument went forward. But in the end it was an exercise in futility. No minds and hearts were changed. Contrast… Read More »

Ordinary time. After the forty days of Lent and the fifty days of Easter we are back in ordinary time in the Church’s calendar. Ordinary time is significant in the individual spiritual life because it is in the ordinary that we meet God. Oh, there probably are those mountain-top-knocked-off-your-horse moments but they are not the… Read More »

The Acts of the Apostles concludes with St. Paul in prison in Rome, an imprisonment that eventually leads to martyrdom. But Paul is a missionary to the end. He summons the “the leaders of the Jews” in order to bring the gospel to them. What is fascinating is how he frames the message: “it is… Read More »

When we say “That was a spirited worship service” we mean that the joint was jumping. When we say, “She got the spirit” that means she was leaping around and dancing and having a good time. When we say, “That preacher had the spirit today” we mean he did some shouting. When we say “that… Read More »

Since the Ascension the Gospel readings have been stressing the presence of the Holy Spirit. This helps us to prepare ourselves for the great feast of Pentecost. However, today instead of a reading about the Holy Spirit the Gospel of St. John reports the post-resurrection scene of the encounter of Jesus and St. Peter. Why?… Read More »

It is obvious that we are different — different looks, different languages, different cultures, different sexes, different status. The last prayer of Jesus for us is that we learn to move beyond those differences and find a more fundamental unity. Jesus prays that we will be “one.” That prayer serves as an invitation into the… Read More »

Every day in the Liturgy of the Hours we recite the prayer of Mary, usually known by its Latin title the Magnificat, which she proclaimed during her visitation with Elizabeth. Notice how much of the prayer is in the past tense. The Almighty “has scattered the proud in their conceit; has cast down the mighty… Read More »

Isn’t it wonderful that Jesus prays for us as in St. John’s Gospel: “I pray for them… for the ones you have given me.” We pray as Jesus does — praying for others and asking them to pray for us. But what is really going on with such prayers? We aren’t trying to change God’s… Read More »