Everyone has a “withered” part that we like to keep hidden away. Maybe it is an old grudge we can’t let go of, a prejudice that we inherited from our family, a secret shame for something we have done or something done to us, an irrational fear of what the future holds. When Jesus was… Read More »

Philemon had a problem. His friend, Paul, sent him a letter along with his runaway slave, Onesimus. In Roman society a runaway slave was severely punished to act as a deterrant from others doing the same thing. However, during his escape Onesimus had met Paul and been converted to Christianity. Paul sent Onesimus back and… Read More »

One of the enduring myths in the United States is that of the “self-made man,” the one who “raised himself up by his bootstraps,” the “Horatio Alger-type.” No one is “self-made” but is the product of so many influences. Family — even if dysfunctional it provided grit and determination. Education — even if one’s school… Read More »

St. Paul picks up a theme from the preaching of Jesus and reminds us to stop judging. He adds an additional nuance: I do not even pass judgment on myself. As we can all testify, while we might have good intentions, our motives can be mixed up, even to ourselves. That is why we leave… Read More »

In the Gospels of Matthew and Mark the call of the first disciples is straightforward. Jesus sees the two sets of brothers who are fishermen, says “follow me” and they do so. St. Luke gives some background. Jesus had been teaching from their boats, he worked a miracle for them and after some protestation and… Read More »

Several years ago a teen ager said she didn’t like Jesus because he was “stuck up.” “What do you mean,” I asked. She said, “It’s like he said, ‘I am the light of the word,’ and like ‘I am the Good Shepherd.’”  I told her that she needed to look at the gospels again for… Read More »

For the next several months we will be reading from St. Luke’s gospel. Right from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry he is portrayed as confronting the demons. There was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon … Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” Although you don’t hear about… Read More »

The term “peer pressure” is usually applied to teen-agers who do dangerous or illegal things in order to fit in with the crowd. However, anyone can feel compelled to do something they know they shouldn’t do in order to look good to others. Think of King Herod when “pressured” by Herodias’ daughter (not named in… Read More »

You might remember during a previous financial crisis (there’s always a financial crisis), the Ford Motor Company was in serious trouble and in danger of going bankrupt. It took a tax-payer bailout to save the company. They asked an executive what happened and he answered, “We become obsessed with making money. We forgot we were… Read More »

On the rectory wall there is a newspaper clipping from 1899 that starts off by saying, “St. James is the richest and most influential parish in the city.” My guess is, after 123 years and all the merging and re-configuration of Renew My Church, that St. James is now the smallest and the poorest parish… Read More »