The Rabbi walked up to the front of the synagogue and fell to his knees praying: “Dear God, I am not worthy, I am the lowest of the low, a worm and no man. I am dust and ashes, small and of little account.” The cantor then walked up to the front of the synagogue… Read More »

“Living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ.” It is easy to get lulled into a certain complacency. We figure we’re doing pretty good and rest content. But St. Paul reminds us we need to “grow” into Christ. We are not set in stone; we… Read More »

Although nothing could be as crazy as this election season, 1968 had its share of insanity. It was the time of the Viet Nam war, the civil rights movement, the birth of feminism and Richard Nixon. The Democratic candidate for president, Hubert Humphrey, was famous would winding up his stump speeches invoking “the brotherhood of… Read More »

“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” Jesus was about fire. We seem content with being tepid. Do you remember the old Johnny Cash song: I fell into a burning ring a fire? The experience of passionate love seems to combust our insides. Jesus had… Read More »

It might be hard for us to understand the importance St. Paul places on the outreach of the Jesus movement to the Gentiles. What’s the big deal, we might ask. And yet, we know in our own time the temptation to divide the world up into “us” and “them.” The political fear of the immigrant… Read More »

St. Luke was a third generation Christian. He was not a Jew, was not from the Holy Land, did not know Jesus. He had to learn about Jesus from St. Paul… who had to learn about Jesus from those who walked the dusty roads of Galilee with him. So when St. Luke told the story… Read More »

‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ When St. Basil, one of the Fathers of the Church reflects on this passage from a parable of Jesus he says that the rich man should not have thought of storing is excess harvest in bigger barns but in the bellies… Read More »

The great fourth century African bishop, Saint Augustine wrote an autobiography called The Confessions. When he talks about his schooling he has painful memories – literally. It was the days that believed in the old adage, spare the rod and you spoil the child. So Augustine was beaten by his schoolmasters not only for cutting… Read More »

St. Paul begins his letter to the people of Ephesus by assuring them of his prayers. “I do not cease giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” He prays: “that the God … may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation.” Once they have that “spirit of wisdom” their eyes will be… Read More »

St. Paul addresses the people of Ephesus: You “were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, which is the first installment of our inheritance.” He is telling those early Christians, and us, that we have a foretaste of the glory to come with the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. The Holy Spirit is… Read More »