Our Gospel today tells us that Matthew was a tax collector, which would have made him an agent of the Roman occupiers, and a despised collaborator of the enemies of his own people. But a simple invitation from Jesus to come and follow him inspired Matthew to leave everything behind to follow the Lord. There […]

Recently I accompanied our pastor to provide a picnic lunch for the residents of our county juvenile justice center. Our pastor is the chaplain of this institution which houses about 95 young men and women between the ages of 13 and 17. All of them are serving time for having committed rather serious crimes. We […]

The Gospel reading today is tough. Our American sense of justice and fair play would have the full-time workers filing a grievance with their local union. How is it possible that the people who worked for one hour received the same pay as those who worked all day? It was unfair, and the workers let […]

In our first reading, Jeremiah addresses the people of Israel in captivity in Babylon with a message of hope and consolation. “With an age-old love, I have loved you, so I have kept my mercy toward you” and “I will be the God of all the tribes of Israel, and they will be my people.” […]

“The sower went out to sow his seed.” It is a parable well known to all of us. Today it holds special meaning. This is the 120th anniversary of the death of Pope Leo XIII, who died at the age of 93 after serving as the successor of Peter for 21 years. He is most […]

On sending forth his disciples, Jesus instructed them to proclaim, “The Kingdom of God is at hand.” Proclaiming the Kingdom was the central focus of Jesus’ life and ministry. He was the new Adam, and the Kingdom he announced was the restoration of the unity of the Father with all of his creation. This was […]

Today’s Gospel reading is what we read each Ash Wednesday as we begin our Lenten journey. The three actions that Jesus mentions are the traditional Lenten practices: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Obviously, we are not meant to drop these on Easter Sunday as they are foundational to living a full Christian life. Jesus asks us […]

Saint Justin, Martyr Today, we hear of Paul leaving Ephesus after three years during which he had instructed and encouraged those he had won over to faith in Jesus. He feared that with him gone, there would be others who would come and propagate doctrines and beliefs contrary to what he had so painstakingly passed […]

In today’s Gospel, Jesus proclaims that he is the vine and we are the branches. What does the image of Jesus as a vine connote? All nourishment comes to us through Jesus. Without our attachment to him, we are lost. And what is this nourishment that we draw from Jesus? It is grace, a share […]

When I read of the persecution of the early Christians, a line from Leonard Bernstein’s musical piece, The Mass, always comes back to me, “You cannot imprison the word of the Lord.” In today’s first reading, we learn of the persecution of the followers of Jesus in Jerusalem. “Saul made havoc of the church going […]