Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time Luke 13:22-30 The narrow gate of which Jesus speaks is the way of limitless love, unconditional forgiveness, sacrificial selflessness; we can only enter by letting go of our control, our pride, our self-absorption, our cynicism. And Jesus promises that anyone willing to struggle through the narrow gate will be welcomed …
St. Bernard, Pray for us Matthew 23:1-12 How humble are we? How approachable are we? Do we lord it over others because of our intelligence or because we have a slightly higher position? Are we embroiled in power struggles because we think we are better than the next person? This lack of humility can …
St. John Eudes, Pray for us Matthew 22:34-40 There are people who are not easy to love. There are people who do not appreciate anything we do for them and who even take advantage of us. Adam Grant in his book Give and Take speaks of the givers and takers. So, if we try …
Matthew 22:1-14 The wedding garment expected of us is the life-long personal commitment to follow Jesus Christ. We are weaving our garments by the way we live each day. The proper wedding garment must include an attitude of kindness and love, of mutual respect and forgiveness, a life of generosity to the less fortunate, and …
Matthew 20:1-16 Transform us, O God, into a people of gratitude. Help us to embrace a perspective that sees your hand at work in all things and realize the good things with which you have blessed our lives. In appreciating what we have received, may we begin to fill the emptiness and poverty of our …
St. Stephen of Hungary, Pray for us Matthew 19:23-30 Jesus’ words cut right through the world so many people strive for and the world we know. Life in the Kingdom is a gift from God, received with open hands. Clutching an armload of assets makes it impossible to receive God’s life. But in a …
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Luke 1:39-56 The song of praise we hear in today’s Gospel, the Magnificat, is the result of a woman of deep prayer and recognition of God in creation. All throughout her song of praise, she sees the hand of God in places where we would not expect to find …
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Luke 12:49-53 The fire that Jesus speaks of is humble, selfless love: love that can transform our world and us. But, as Jesus warns us, it is a love that is often at odds with the demands and expectations of the world, a faith that does not fit neatly …
Matthew 19:13-15 Jesus believed and taught that God was a wise and loving Father who wanted his children to experience life at its best. It was a revolutionary concept of God. No one had ever dared believe this before and I often wonder if we even believe it today.
St. Jane Frances de Chantal, Pray for us Matthew 19:3-12 Lord, may we put aside the false idols in today’s world which stand in the way of our being faithful to the God who made us. We place our hope in you, that your love will set us on a path of peace and …
