In St. Mark’s gospel the call of the first disciples is pretty simple. “Come follow me,” says Jesus and they leave their boats and follow him. St. Luke describes more of a process of becoming a disciple that rings true to our own experience. First there is curiosity — who is this Jesus and what… Read More »

We start reading from the Epistle to the Colossians today. This has traditionally been considered a Pauline epistle but modern scholars have questioned whether the Apostle was, in fact, the author. It has themes and vocabulary not found in the undisputed Pauline letters. More recently, other scholars suggest that those differences are explainable because of… Read More »

St. Luke, whose gospel we will read from now until Advent, told the story of Jesus not as history or as biography but as a call to faith. He started off telling of Jesus’ public ministry in Nazareth, his home town, but quickly shifts the focus to Capernaum which was the center of activity. Being… Read More »

The end of the Gospel of Matthew consists of what is known as the “Great Commission.” The Risen Jesus tells his disciples to go out, to make disciples, to teach them, and to baptize. The Church has taken this as a mandate to bring the whole world into its fold. The lectionary (daily book of… Read More »

When someone wants you to do something or buy something they provide a positive spin to entice you. Join our gym and in six weeks you’ll have washboard abs. Take this pill and your memory will improve so much that you’ll remember what you ate for breakfast. If you watch this video (available for only… Read More »

“A man going on a journey called in his servants and gave … to each according to his ability.” The parable goes on to describe how some used what they were given and others did not. When we apply the parable to our lives we must, first, appreciate what we have been given and, second,… Read More »

This is the will of God, your holiness. What exactly is holiness? We tend to think of it as a personal quality when we don’t make any mistakes, say lots of prayers, and keep our hands folded. In this sense holiness smells like incense. However, there is a providence that in English the word holiness… Read More »

“Stay awake!” “Watch!” Jesus felt an urgency that all too often we lack. We kind of get lulled into a “same old, same old” mentality that blunts the timeliness of our life in God. When the doctor tells us to remove the tumor now before it spreads, we heed his warning and schedule the surgery… Read More »

St. Paul is working to build up the faith of the Christian people of Thessalonika.  He uses parental images to describe the care he extended to them. Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you… We treated each one of you as a father treats his children, exhorting and encouraging… Read More »

Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. One topic often neglected when talking about the Founding Fathers was their emphasis on virtue.  They were aware of the fact… Read More »