Son of man, eat what is before you; eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth and he gave me the scroll to eat. Son of man, he then said to me, feed your belly and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you. I ate it, and it was […]

How Does Your Garden Grow? Jesus creates a connection with us through the parables telling a story of practical realities readily identifiable by his listeners: scattering seeds; the lazy farmer; mustard seeds; fig trees; wheat and weeds; and in today’s gospel, a grain of wheat must die, a parable analogous to life’s persistent mystery—the paradox […]

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time Today, our church tells us the story of two fear-filled men, Elijah and Peter, whose lives are threatened by imminent death, but spared by the compassion of an understanding God. Elijah flees for his life to Mount Horeb (Sinai), where God passes by and in a tiny, whispering voice announces […]

Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move. Jesus may have been exaggerating in this allegory, but he often spoke about faith and its importance. Faith, here, is not about believing truths. It […]

Frequently during the liturgical year, we hear this reading to “take up our cross” and follow the LORD. Each day we embrace our cross and see where it takes us. Perhaps this is a stark reminder that each day we are also called to “let it go.” “Let It Go” is one of the most […]

Feast of the Transfiguration Jesus’ journey to the cross begins with his transfiguration. With his earthly ministry coming to a close, Jesus knows he has trained the disciples to continue his mission after his death and resurrection. Without telling them what was going to happen, Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John up a […]

With age-old love, I have loved you; so, I have kept my mercy toward you. On August 27, 1867, Father Eymard wrote to his dear friend Mrs. Natalie Jordan: nourish your soul with the truth personified in God’s divine goodness towards you, with his tenderness, his personal love. In a word, he sums up the […]

Saint John Vianney For thus says the LORD: Incurable is your wound, grievous your bruise; there is none to plead your cause, no remedy for your running sore, no healing for you. All your lovers have forgotten you; they do not seek you. (Jeremiah 30:12-14) One of the sad truths about sin is the devastation […]

We like to bargain, and at times, we bargain with God because we get desperate. A sick child or some other despairing circumstance forces us to cry out and make a deal with God to spare the child or fix an impossible situation, and if God provides, we will fulfill some kind of promise we […]

Feast of Saint Peter Julian Eymard “Come to me heedfully; listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant.” Today is the feast of the great Apostle of the Eucharist, Saint Peter Julian Eymard. He proposed for the Church a new way of life centered in the Eucharist. Spiritual indifference […]