The man possessed by Legion wanted to follow Jesus after he had been cured. Jesus told him he had a different path: “Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis. That… Read More »

If I were to ask, “is suffering a bad thing?” most people would say, “sure, suffering is a bad thing.” Let’s think about that though. Putting mustard on your egg roll or tabasco sauce on rice and beans causes suffering but it hurts so good. Going for that long run or extending the workout so… Read More »

David was king, powerful. His adviser, Nathan, saw up close and personal what happened when someone got in his way. Uriah had been killed at his orders. Joab had gone along with David’s order. He had cooperated in the evil and come out secure. Nonetheless when Nathan saw evil he felt he had to confront… Read More »

The lives of the saints are chock-a-block with miracle stories, some passing strange. Jesus in his parables asks us to open our eyes and see that a hundred million miracles are happening every day. “If a man were to scatter seed on the land … the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how.”… Read More »

One of the great spiritual masters, St. Ignatius, used to warn his disciples that the devil lives where there are secrets and lies. When we hear the words of Jesus to let our little light shine we usually interpret it as meaning showing off our good points. In fact, what needs to be put on… Read More »

The Hebrew children had wandered for years in the wilderness. They kept the Ark of the Covenant and other sacred objects in a tent (usually translated “tabernacle” to make it seem special.) This continued after the Israelites entered the promised land. With no permanent house for the Ark, no tribe could claim preference. This changed… Read More »

When was the last time that your prayer led you to dance? For most people in the USA my guess would be “never.” There is a long tradition of dance as prayer. Miriam led the dance “with tambourines” after the deliverance at the Red Sea. David, girt with a linen apron, came dancing before the… Read More »

For two hundred years the people of Israel had relied on a charismatic leader (“judge”) rising up to lead the various tribes. The call to have a king was meant to change that — there would be a designated leader over all the tribes. However, the failure of Saul as king caused the people to… Read More »

Divisions, disagreements, separations, rifts, divides are the story of our time. Turn on the impeachment hearings to see in living color the divide between the Democrats and Republicans. In the church you find Pope Francis Catholics who disagree with Pope Benedict Catholics. Any news cast will highlight that the Christians and the Muslims and the… Read More »

The conversion of St. Paul was a major turning point in the early Church. The Apostle himself talked about it in his epistles. St. Luke, in the Acts of the Apostles, told the story three times. Obviously we are supposed to notice this event! Saul, a persecutor, is transformed into Paul, a believer in Jesus.… Read More »