Saint Matthew, Evangelist and Apostle The Gospel of Matthew, the first book of the New Testament, offers a clear link between the Old and New Testaments. We see this already in the genealogy of Jesus given at the very beginning of his gospel, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, […]

Each of the gospels tells the story of a woman who enters a dinner and kneels at the feet of Jesus. She washes his feet with her tears, wipes them with her hair and anoints them with precious alabaster balm. Yet there are differences in each of the telling. Luke does not talk about the […]

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 […]

As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit. (1 […]

In the first reading today from St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians we are given a glimpse into the challenges faced by the early Christian community. We are told of divisions and factions experienced within the community as they celebrate the Eucharist which should bring about a time of intense unity and love. From […]

The first scripture today is Isaiah’s prophecy of the Suffering Servant. “I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.” Our thoughts immediately leap to the passion of Jesus. The gospel passage directs our attention to the […]

Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows The principal biblical references to Mary’s sorrows are in Luke 2:35 and John 19:26-27; both are suggested readings for this Mass. The Lucan passage is Simeon’s prediction about a sword piercing Mary’s soul; the Johannine passage relates Jesus’ words from the cross to Mary and to the beloved disciple. […]

The Exaltation of the Cross Every year on the 14th of September the church celebrates the Exaltation of the Cross, the symbol of our reconciliation, healing and redemption. This year the feast falls on a Friday, the day on which the Church would naturally be keeping memory of the day of our Lord’s passion and […]

In today’s gospel we hear Jesus tell us, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” This maxim, generally referred to as the “Golden Rule” is shared by most religions and ethical traditions. It is truly a universal concept, one that seems to be an inherent part of our human nature, that […]

In today’s gospel reading Jesus prays that his hearers get their priorities straight. His series of “blesseds” and “woes” are as counter-cultural in his day as they are today. He turns everything on its head. He extols those “on the bottom,” the poor, the hungry, those in sorrow, and those who are excluded, insulted, and […]