The joy of conversion, Christian community, and the Catholic faith
Jeremiah 20:7-9; Ps 63:2,6, 8-9; Romans 12:1-2; Mt 16:21-27 Come Holy Spirit, enlighten our minds to know God’s will for us and set us on fire to take our part. The Sunday gospels usually follow in order. Early in chapter 16 Jesus confronted the Pharisees and Sadducees about their “fake news” teaching. Jesus then left...
Therefore, glorify God in your body. (1 Cor 6:20) What do you see when you look at your body? God created our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit, sacramentals of procreation and means of holiness. They are fearfully and wonderfully made yet often desecrated by sin or used to tempt others. God meant for...
Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10; Ps 19: 8-10, 15; 1 Corinthians 12:12-30; Luke 1:1-4, 14-21 The gospel of St. Luke today has Jesus beginning his public ministry. St. Luke was a disciple of Jesus. He knew of Mark and Matthew yet wanted to explain the Jesus story from the beginning. Luke wrote one third of the...
Jeremiah 20:7-9; Psalms 63:2-6, 8-9); Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 16:21-27 When we look more deeply at these readings there is an underlying note. God created everything. When he made us he placed a longing within us for a union with himself. It is an emptiness; we are looking for fulfillment. We look for humans and things...
The upstairs windows are washed, and the glass and crystal knick-knacks on the top of the sash and sill have been wiped off. Looking out, I notice the seventy-foot maple in the neighbor’s yard is tipped in dark red. Within a week, it will flash its fall color, a glowing dark-orange. In front of the...