In the first reading from Maccabees today we are presented with the clash of cultures and faith powered by unjust leaders who offered a terrifying choice—total assimilation or death. Unfortunately for our human family this type of intolerance seems so remarkably stable over time. Reports of ethnic cleansing and Christians being murdered for their faith […]

THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME We’re one week away from the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year. In preparation, the scriptures direct us to reflect on a powerful theme, the second coming of Christ. We first read the prophet Malachi’s description of the coming of the Son of Man, a “day blazing like an […]

“Over this crossed the whole nation sheltered by your hand, after they beheld stupendous wonders. For they ranged about like horses, and bounded about like lambs, praising you, O LORD, their deliverer!” (Wis 19:8-9) God’s great saving deed on behalf of his people, the Exodus from Egypt, is recounted in today’s reading from the Book […]

1 2 3 4…..”Ready or not, here I come.” I have to be honest, when I read the gospel for today, I said to myself, “Lord, what are you doing to me!” It read of gloom and doom not of mercy and redemption. We spend a good part of life getting ready for work or […]

Then he said to his disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. There will be those who will say to you, ‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’ Do not go off, do not […]

In today’s gospel reading, a group of lepers call out to Jesus, “Lord, have pity on us.” Jesus cured them and, as the gospels record, he did so to hundreds suffering from a variety of physical and spiritual ailments. Throughout history those who claim Jesus as their Lord have continued this ministry of healing. Today […]

We are useless servants, we have done no more than our duty. These words, that end today’s gospel passage, seem to imply that Christian life lies mainly in doing whatever we are asked to do out of a sense of obligation. However, this is to be understood in light of Jesus’ own statement that “The […]

Love justice, you who judge the earth; think of the Lord in goodness, and seek him in integrity of heart. These words begin the book of Wisdom. And what better wisdom to pass on to “these little ones” whether you be a parent, grandparent, aunt, priest, teacher, etc.—or saint. During the “Great Retreat of Rome” […]

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time The Sadducees of Jesus’ day denied the possibility of resurrection, whereas the tortured death of the seven Maccabee brothers and their mother (1st reading) in contrast, proclaimed a strong and growing belief in a new and better life continuing after death with God. The resurrection of Jesus himself and his […]

The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica “You are God’s building. . . . But each one must be careful how he builds upon it, for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor 3:9, 10b-11) One of my favorite things to do in Rome is […]