What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended into the lower regions of the earth? This thought of St. Paul is echoed in the Apostles’ Creed: “He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell…” The truth that underlies these statements is that Jesus is the savior… Read More »
OCTOBER212022
You don’t have to look far to see division — families, neighborhoods, nations, ethnic groups, economic strata, age and sexual cohorts. St. Paul wants us to look again and find that there is an underlying unity of the spirit which is more fundamental than the apparent differences: one Body and one Spirit, one hope, one Lord,… Read More »
OCTOBER202022
Jesus said to his disciples: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” These words from the Gospel of Luke were important to the founder of my Congregation, Fr. Thomas Judge. They are so important that they are part of our Constitution. They express an evangelical… Read More »
OCTOBER192022
Jesus must have driven the disciples a little nuts at times. He seldom answered their questions directly. Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” Jesus launches into a long story about “menservants and maidservants.” Someone asked, “Who is my neighbor?” and Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan. The… Read More »
OCTOBER182022
When I was first assigned to a parish in Jersey City I was by myself for a few years. During that time I was very patient, kind, compassion, serene. Then another priest was assigned to the parish. You can guess what happened. That helps us understand why Jesus sent the disciples out two-by-two. The Lord… Read More »
OCTOBER172022
He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. One of the Fathers of the Church, St. John Chrysostom, preached that the error the rich man made was… Read More »
OCTOBER162022
Does prayer change God’s mind? When we pray about something does it alter the plan of God in some way? We know we’re supposed to pray. Jesus told us “to ask, to seek, to knock.” St. Paul said we should “pray without ceasing.” St. Luke in the gospel for today talks about “the necessity to… Read More »
OCTOBER152022
Parents know they cannot treat each child the same way. They have to restrain the child who ties a towel around her neck and plans to jump off the roof like Captain Marvel. They have to push the child who stays locked in his room, afraid to mingle with the other children. St. Paul knew… Read More »
OCTOBER142022
My favorite book is Frannie and Zooey by J.D. Salinger, the story of a brother and sister. The sister, Frannie, come to her brother to complain about the Bible. She likes it when Jesus says, Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.… Read More »
OCTOBER132022
Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the holy ones who are in Ephesus. The daily readings move on from Paul’s letter to the Galatians to the one to the Church in Ephesus. The shift in tone is notable, so much so that some scholars even speculate that Paul was… Read More »
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