Month: June 2020
-
O You of Little Faith
Tuesday of Week 13 in Ordinary Time Faith is both God’s gift and our response to that gift. So God’s gift will always be adequate since God alone knows what we need even before we ask. But our response can sometimes lag behind God’s gift in adequacy. The apostles were in a boat with Jesus […]
-
Church Reenvisioned Post-Pandemic
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time I think I’ve figured something out. I’ve been thinking lately there’s something about people that’s a little off. It’s an affliction of the spirit, something like a human decency deficiency. You might tell me there’s so much more than just a little that’s off, or that I’ve arrived late to […]
-
Who Am I To Say Who Is Deserving?
Saturday of Week 12 in Ordinary Time Despite Jesus’ declaration that he came to fulfill the Law, he was regarded by his opponents as a lawbreaker. But Jesus was familiar with the heart of the Divine Lawgiver, so he sometimes extended the Divine Lawgiver’s intent beyond what the Law articulated. Our ideas and behaviors have […]
-
God Desires Our Healing
Friday of Week 12 in Ordinary Time With the destruction of the temple, the tearing down of the city walls, and the execution of the sons of King Zedekiah, the royal line of David is effectively ended, the citizens of the southern kingdom of Judah are sent off into exile (the northern kingdom of Israel […]
-
Our Highest Priority
Thursday of Week 12 in Ordinary Time After all his instruction of the crowd, Jesus reminds them that it is not enough to know what God wants of us. We have above all to act on this knowledge in a manner that shows a willingness to do God’s will. And yet actions that are not […]
-
In Praise of Humility
Birthday of St. John the Baptist It’s six months to Christmas! The angel told Mary that Elizabeth her cousin was with child six months when she agreed to be the mother of God’s Son. That puts Elizabeth’s son’s birth six months ahead of Mary’s son. So when the date of Jesus’ birth was established around […]
-
Where the Perils of Judgement Lie
Tuesday of Week 12 in Ordinary Time Judgement is neither good nor bad. It is information. Rather, what we choose to do with that information becomes a choice for doing good or bad. The same information regarding my neighbor’s reprehensible speech and unjust actions still depend on my choice in response, whether to strike back […]
-
A Face Only a Mother Can Love
Immaculate Heart of Mary I’m not a mother. So I don’t know what mothers see when they look at their children. Maybe they see their husbands, or at least the father of those children. Maybe they see what they love about their father. Maybe they see what possibilities lie ahead. Maybe they see themselves. Go […]
-
Because God Loved Us First
Sacred Heart of Jesus As hate is learned, so is love. Some might have a natural propensity for disliking everything. That isn’t taught. As well some might have a natural propensity for being warm and welcoming always. That is probably not taught either. But we cannot possibly know what we have not first experienced or […]
middlechildcatholicpriest 