Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle Today’s feast marks the end of the 51st Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. There is a choice of readings for the epistle today. Either is appropriate. On this day last year, Pope Francis said the following: “Saint Paul, whose conversion we celebrate today, had a powerful […]

Some scribes who were Pharisees… said to [Jesus’] disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus had just begun choosing disciples, and already Mark gives us five controversies. Yesterday we saw the first conflict which arose concerning the forgiveness of sins (Mark 2:1-12). In today’s gospel, we reflect on the second conflict, […]

“So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease.” This quotation of John the Baptist was one of the favorites of Father Eymard. It was at the root of his gift of self, and it reflected his desire to refer everything to Christ. The Baptist’s statement followed upon one […]

“What are you looking for?” [Jesus asked]. They said to him, “Rabbi,” “where are you staying?” Today, few people ask us what we are looking for. All we have to do is type questions into our trusty computer to find the answer to what we are looking for. Perhaps especially in the first century, people […]

But to those who did accept him [Jesus] he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God. These words from St. John’s prologue are startling, yet few people probably realize […]

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he has come to his people and set them free. As we stand on the cusp of Christmas, our gospel reading is the canticle of Zechariah. He praises God because he has redeemed his people (Lk 1: 68) just as he promised by the mouth of […]

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.… On the face of it, this does not sound like a very inspiring reading. Notice, however, how it traces Jesus’ genealogy back through David to Abraham. All the listing of ancestors begin from Abraham down to Joseph and Jesus. […]

Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Many sections in Isaiah’s prophesy today are heard every Advent. God is about to bring deliverance to his people says the prophet. So they should be consoled and comfort one another. A second Advent theme, one picked up by John the Baptist follows: “A voice cries […]

Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest The baby shall play by the cobra’s den, and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair. There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain… Many of our readings in Advent are taken from the prophet Isaiah. Today’s reading reminds us that God’s plan […]

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky. The apocalyptic readings we get at the end of the liturgical year are incomprehensible to most people. Some few try to use them […]