Reflections
2023
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Can’t you just do as you’re told for once!” Maybe you remember being on the receiving end of that comment, or maybe you’ve been on the other side of the conversation. Maybe you’ve been fortunate not to have…
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Other than air and water, salt is the most important need for our physical well-being. Animals will travel miles for it. It was one of the earliest commodities to be traded in human society. If salt were to…
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:1-12a), also known as the Beatitudes, is Matthew’s compilation of some of the most notable and uplifting sayings of Jesus. Luke uses some of the same sayings (Lk 6:20–26), in a…
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Last week we heard Paul’s introduction to the first letter that he wrote to his church in Corinth. This is probably the earliest of his letters that we have and the first written testimony from any Christian…
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Our Christmas season leaves us with a clear message about who Jesus is: son of Mary, God with us, savior of the world. Now we immediately move to a related but perhaps more difficult question - who are we?…
The Epiphany of the Lord
I’ve always been fascinated by the idea that people who live in the Southern Hemisphere celebrate Christmas in the middle of summer. For me Christmas is so deeply linked with snow, fires, darkness outside,…
Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God
Hail Mary, Blessed Virgin, Queen of Heaven, Mother of God, ... We have many, many titles for Mary. One list I found has 50! That might be more than we need and today we are focused on one - Mary, Mother of…
2022
The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
Christmas more than any other of our feasts displays the diversity of our gospel tradition. You might expect that how God came to earth, became a human being, would be a key element in the Christian tradition.…
Fourth Sunday of Advent
It takes two to make a baby. Except, of course, in the case of Jesus, which was rather special. John, when writing his gospel, had no problem at all with this - he situated Jesus in his cosmic position at the…
Third Sunday of Advent
Isaiah says: “Here is your God … he comes to save you” (Is 35:1-6a, 10) Words like these have doubtless been used at many times in many different situations. The psalm we use today says “The Lord God keeps…
Second Sunday of Advent
Today we hear another of those wonderful prophesies of Isaiah (Is 11:1-10). His vision of a world free of any kind of violence and division holds out hope to a people overwhelmed by conflict and danger. Paul…
First Sunday of Advent
They shall beat their swords into plowsharesand their spears into pruning hooks;one nation shall not raise the sword against another,nor shall they train for war again. — Is 2:4 What was Isaiah thinking? This…
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
No one votes for a king. That’s kind of the point. If anyone gets to choose a king it’s God. Medieval European monarchs created a whole theology of their “divine right” to rule. The emperors of China similarly…
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Last week we were challenged to consider what it means to be alive. We probably don’t think about it much on a day to day basis, but what it is to be alive is not as obvious as we might expect. My mother spent…
Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jesus had many debates with the religious authorities of his time, typically referred to as the Scribes and Pharisees. Usually they were complaining about something he had done, or trying to trip him up in…
Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Our first reading today from the Book of Wisdom gives us as tender a view of God as any that we might find in the New Testament or the writings of any Christian mystic. you love all things that are, and loathe…
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today we come to the end of the readings from Paul's letters to Timothy which we have listened to over the past few weeks. We hear someone who knows that the end of his life on earth is near, but he is OK with…
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
A couple of weeks ago we touched on the topic of perseverance. This week it comes front and center: 'pray without becoming weary' is the clear message from Jesus and the story of Moses. The example of Moses…
Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ten lepers were healed (Lk 17:11-19). How many were saved? One for sure, but the other nine - that's not so clear. The story in today's gospel does however make it clear that there is a difference between…
Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
How long, O LORD? I cry for help but you do not listen!I cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do not intervene.Why do you let me see ruin; why must I look at misery?Destruction and violence are before me; there…