When Jesus spoke the words of today’s Gospel, he was on the road to Jerusalem ––    on a road that would lead to the Cross. In the clearest and most vivid way possible, Jesus told his would-be followers that anyone who intended truly to follow him must be ready for a loyalty which would require sacrificing […]

“Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” Today’s gospel begins with an observation by Jesus that a thief can take an unvigilant master by surprise, and that must not be the case with them. They must ever be prepared for […]

Like other charismatic teachers of his time, Jesus attracted disciples to himself; and it was important that Jesus let all would-be followers know exactly what they were in for, as we see exemplified in today’s gospel. To the first man Jesus says, equivalently, “Before you follow me, be sure that you count the cost.” Jesus […]

Throughout his Gospel St. Luke seems to be struck by the unresponsiveness and even the hostility of some people to Jesus. In today’s passage, Luke recounts the metaphor used by Jesus comparing his contentious contemporaries to petulant children—pointing to a kind of perversity that all of us indulge in or are inclined to indulge in […]

Today’s Gospel reading encompasses three separate incidents: the cure of Peter’s mother-in-law, the cure of sick and possessed people and Jesus’ departure from Capernaum. After Jesus spent a day extending healing to a great number of people, from Peter’s mother-in-law then to people afflicted physically and spiritually, he felt the need to move on. Very […]

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary In the year 451 AD bishops from throughout the Mediterranean world gathered in Constantinople for the Council of Chalcedon. In preparation for this event, the Emperor Marcian asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem to bring with him the relics of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, that they might be enshrined […]

“The Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he fines a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” Exactly 150 years ago, August 1, 1868, Peter Julian Eymard breathed his last. Days earlier, he arrived at his home town, La Mure d’Isère, […]

In today’s gospel reading Jesus speaks of heavenly, spiritual mysteries being revealed to the childlike. That raises a question: How do we become childlike? The answer simply stated is: by becoming more like Jesus in the details of our daily life; and the more we become like Jesus, the more God the Father recognizes us […]