In the great philosophy of our time — the Peanuts comic trip — Lucy tells Linus that he can’t be a doctor because he doesn’t love mankind. “I love mankind,” Linus objects, “it’s people I can’t stand.” In John 3:16 (recognized by anyone who has seen a sporting event on TV in the past twenty… Read More »

I was talking with a young person who was teaching at one of the Indian Reservations in South Dakota. She told me of a time she was administering a test when one of the students began sharing the answers with his classmates. She told him to stop cheating. He did not understand her concern. He… Read More »

The Star Wars movies begin with a scroll saying that the action occurred long, long ago and far, far away. Mythic action uses such descriptors to universalize the story. The events could be anywhere, even here. The story of the Annunciation, where Mary accepted the role as Mother of the Savior of the World, is… Read More »

The story of “doubting Thomas” provides a model that we can all emulate in coming to faith in the Risen Lord. “Come,” Jesus say, “touch my wounded hands and side. If you want to have an Easter faith you must touch my wounds.” That is our story as well. One of the surest ways of… Read More »

“These are uneducated, ordinary men.” That was the reaction of the authorities to the initial preaching of the apostles. And it was true! In the plan of God it was not the movers and the shakers who were going to change the world but Joe Six-pack (or maybe Joe Wine-sack?) That is still the plan… Read More »

“I am going fishing,” St. Peter said. You can catch him thinking — Okay, Jesus rose from the dead. What do I do now? I know how to fish so I’ll go back to that. But he found out he couldn’t fish — he caught nothing. And the encounter with the Risen Lord let him… Read More »

St. Peter pronounces one of the the most chilling indictments addressing the crowds after the events of Jesus’ passion and death: “I know that you acted out of ignorance.” This is chilling because it says we can do the most horrible of things, even killing the Son of God, acting in ignorance. I remember meeting… Read More »

St. Peter says to the begger, “I have neither silver nor gold; but what I have I give you.” We can only give what we have. The story of the disciples encounter with Jesus on the road to Emmaus reminds us that the most important thing we have is our burning hearts. “Were not our… Read More »

The encounter between the Risen Jesus and Mary Magdalene is very poignant. She comes to recognize him when he calls her by name, when he asserts the connection, the bond, the intimacy that they possessed as teacher and disciple. However, Jesus adds, “Do not cling to me.” Do not cling to how our relationship used… Read More »

Mary Magdalene is remembered as one of the most important witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus. The Fathers of the Church called her “the apostle to the apostles” since she was the one who proclaimed to the Twelve the Good News of the appearance of the Risen Jesus. I was struck though that in St.… Read More »