The prophet Haggai accompanied the Jewish exiles when they returned from Babylon and began to rebuild their lives in Israel. He fussed with them because they seemed to be more concerned with building their own houses than in re-building the temple of the Lord. While you can sympathize with the people who don’t feel they… Read More »

The Gospels report that even during the public ministry of Jesus, he would send out the apostles to spread the message of salvation. Jesus gave them some marching orders and then they “set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.” That sounds like good criteria for us… Read More »

The Babylonian exile was the traumatic event in the history of Israel. From the deportation of the people in 587BC by the Babylonians to their restoration by the Persians in 539BC the idea of what it meant to be a Jew underwent a profound transformation. Without king, temple, or land the Chosen People had to… Read More »

Jesus wants us to “let our little light shine.” That serves as a reminded of how important each one of us is in the plan of God. God depends on us to bring peace, forgiveness, compassion, love into this world as the signs of the divine presence. But it should also be the occasion for… Read More »

Several years ago I worked at Louisiana State University. I happened to be visiting a professor’s home on the day when the grades came out. The phone kept ringing the whole time I was there. All of the calls were variations on this theme: Dr. Mauck, I need a higher grade. If I don’t get… Read More »

One of the best remembered parables of Jesus is called The Sower and the Seed. It begins, “A sower went out to sow his seed.” The parable as Jesus told it originally was focused on the sower. After the disciples ask Jesus what the parable meant there is an explanation which concentrates on the seed… Read More »

St. Luke of all the gospel writers stresses the role of women in the ministry of Jesus as among the first followers, prominently among them Mary Magdalene. She is called “the apostle to the apostles” because of her witness of the Risen Jesus. In the preaching of the Church over the centuries she has gotten… Read More »

St. Matthew’s Gospel , like all four accounts in the New Testament, is geared to help us come to faith in Jesus. Matthew’s portrait of Jesus no doubt reflects his own experience of responding to the call to “follow me.” The overarching theme of the gospel can be found in the way St. Matthew brackets… Read More »

No matter what you do you’re going to get criticized. They criticized John the Baptist for being a religious fanatic and they criticized Jesus as a party animal. Since they are going to criticize you anyway, you might as well do the right thing! For example, the Church is critiqued nowadays for “getting involved in… Read More »

St. Pope John Paul II in 1994  decreed “the reservation of priestly ordination to men alone” and wrote that “the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women”. He issued the decree so “that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance.” The Holy Father did not address the matter… Read More »