The Ten Commandments have become something of a political football. They are used to demonstrate a politicians bona fide as a genuine Christian. But, of course, the Ten Commandments are not specifically Christian. They are part of the heritage that Christianity has inherited from our Jewish roots. Jesus does give us commandments, just not in… Read More »

According to the dictionary a transactional person is someone who engages in relationships or interactions primarily based on what they can gain from them. Jesus warns us that our relationship with God cannot be transactional. God is always the giver. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth.” We can’t create our own happiness by… Read More »

St. Paul was not of the “you do your thing and I’ll do mine” school. The Apostle knew that what we believe matters and when he saw the corruption of belief he reacted. As the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts may be corrupted from a sincere and pure commitment to Christ. It… Read More »

There are many books about St. Paul: Paul, the missionary, Paul, the preacher, Paul, the theologian. There could just as easily be a book, Paul, the money raiser in chief. The early Church counted on Paul raising money among the Gentiles to care for the poor in the community. He said “this is the very… Read More »

Loving your enemies is one of the hallmarks of the ethics of Jesus. While this is certainly not the default position of most people the motivation that underlines this command is even more startling. Jesus says that we love our enemies so that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun… Read More »

Now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. Annie Dillard once wrote that she was in search of some “present tense.” The all too human temptation is to miss the moment we are living through. We live in the past with the hurts and wounds and resentments that still haunt… Read More »

Imagine this: there is a nun who gets up in the middle of the night to pray. She turns on the light and sits alone in the dark with God. The next day she spends in silence thinking about God the whole time. She fasts because he wants to become completely dependent on God. When… Read More »

One of the most disturbing elements of the current political environment is the complete disregard for truth. (This is not something new, witness Pilate’s challenge to Jesus “What is truth?”) One political operative told a reporter that the reporter was trying to get in touch what what was happening in reality while politics is all… Read More »

The liturgical directives issued by the Vatican office for worship insists that a chalice be made of a “precious metal” — gold, silver or platinum.  While there is a practical aspect to the requirement — precious metals are not porous and the sacramental wine will not interact with the material — there is also a… Read More »

We started the liturgical season of “ordinary time” this week. During Ordinary Time a particular book of the Bible and a particular gospel are read chapter by chapter as a “continuous reading.”  We started the second epistle to the Corinthians and the gospel of Matthew on Monday. The gospel began with the sermon on the… Read More »