Today’s Gospel story – the feeding of the multitude – invites us to understand something. The evangelist St. John, in writing down the story, calls it a “sign.†Jesus is giving the people a sign, a message. Actions speak louder than words, and Jesus uses the occasion of a hunrgy crowd gathered around Him to […]
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – “B†– July 29, 2012 Read More »
The Gospel reading today reflects experience of people gathering together, to listen to the words of a teacher. After a hectic time of missionary work, the disciples are exhausted, and Jesus says, “You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while.†As they sail away, the crowds of
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – “B†– July 22, 2012 Read More »
One of the dismissals from the new transtion of the Holy Mass says, “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by you life.†This is what Amos and the apostles were called to do. We are sent out from the Holy Mass renewed and refreshed to make the good news of Jesus’ promise of love and
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – XV “B†– July 15, 2012 Read More »
Jesus of Nazareth did not need a talent contest to establish His credentials 2000 years ago. Yet, by the same token, His fame and His popularity were enough for His townsfolk to become suspicious and start casting aspersions. How could someone they knew so well be a prophet? Of course, the real trouble was that
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – XII “B†– July 8, 2012 Read More »
In today’s Gospel Jesus brings back to life a child who is actually dead. On the three occasions recorded in the Gospels when Jesus raises someone from the dead, He demonstrates extraordinary compassion. Jesus raises the young man at Nain because of his pity for the widow. He raises Lazarus because He feels compassion for
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – XII “B†– July 1, 2012 Read More »
The birth of a child is an occasion for rejoicing, not only for siblings but also for parents, aunts and uncles, and even for friends and neighbors. But it also seems to invite questions. Not only the commonplace ones, like: “Is it a boy or a girl?†or “What does she weigh?†or “Who’s he
Nativity of St. John the Baptist – XII “B†– June 24, 2012 Read More »
To preach the kingdom, as Jesus did, always carries with it an element of risk. Indeed, in Jesus’ own time it sounded to some – both friends and enemies – like a call to action, even a call to arms. Just like the prophets before Him, Jesus urges His followers to trust not in their
Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time – “B†– June 10, 2012 – Father’s Day Read More »
We are frequently reminded about healthy eating. We’re told, “You become what you eat.†If we eat healthy foods, we develop healthy bodies. If we eat jonk food, we have a good chance of becoming unhealthy. Food can become a weapon in the armoury of the advertisers: they try to sell us food to make
Sunday in the Octave of Corpus Christi – “B†– June 10, 2012 Read More »
The Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith and the source of all other mysteries of faith yet, not surprisingly, it is perhaps the most difficult to communicate, for it deals with the inner life of God, the mystery of who God is. In the Gospel today there were some who hesitated
Holy Trinity – June 3, 2012 Read More »
When the Holy Spirit of God came down on the assembled disciples, on Pentecost day, and the disciples began to speak, they addressed themselves to people of every nation, and the people of every nation were able to understand what was being said to them. This first act of God’s Holy Spirit is a message
Solemnity of Pentecost – May 27, 2012 Read More »