The parable of the Pharisee and the Publican illustrates the problem with the very human tendency to make comparisons. Is Ziva David better than Ellie Bishop? Is the pitcher we traded for better than the other? Which is the lesser of the evils that I should vote for in the next election? Jesus wants us… Read More »

In St. Mark’s gospel when Jesus is asked about the great commandment he quotes from the traditional Jewish prayer, the Shema Yisrael. If you ask Christians what constitutes the great commandment they would doubtless answer “love God and love neighbor.” What strikes me, however, is that the first command in the shema is to hear.… Read More »

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” Throughout the Bible — Jeremiah, the Psalms, Jesus — the image of a hardened heart is used a symbol of a spiritual problem. We know something of how our physical heart gets hardened. We call it arteriosclerosis. This disease does not happen all at once… Read More »

Finis Abernathy passed away this morning at his home in Hyde Park. He had entered hospice care in September, once it became clear that further cancer treatment could not help. Funeral arrangements are pending. The prayers of all of us at St. James are with Verda and the family.

ALL SAINTS, ALL THE TIME Every Sunday we say the Creed right after the homily, and towards the end of that profession of faith comes the phrase “communion of saints.” Today being All Saints Day, that phrase has a special prominence. We have no trouble connecting the phrase in the Creed with today’s feast, and… Read More »

For nearly two thousand years the death and resurrection of Jesus has been at the center of the Christian life, placed in our hearts by the love of the Lord, and placed before our eyes and in our hands by the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. By this sacrament the totality of Christ – his… Read More »

A Reflection for St. James Day It’s St. James Day, and so we celebrate with a special mass and picnic and the giving of several awards to some very special parishioners. At the present moment, I suppose someone could find a lot to complain about, from the lingering effects of the teardown of the church… Read More »

The summer wears on, and with it the work on the Hall. Most of us know that the main work is being done on the basement level, and most of us never go down there from week to week to see what all is being accomplished and how much progress is being made. That is… Read More »

What follows is taken from the web site of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and contains the reaction of the President of the conference to the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court that last week legalized same-sex marriage throughout the country. WASHINGTON—The U.S. Supreme Court decision, June 26, interpreting the U.S. Constitution to… Read More »