Priority Status
Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time I’m usually happy to let the last be first and the first go last. But take away one of my hard-earned travel perks that come with my airline’s priority status, and I become a raving … Read More
Forgiving readily
Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time One interesting part of traveling to different areas of the country is hearing the variety of speeds assemblies pray the Lord’s Prayer. (Only a liturgist would notice this!) One thing is the same almost everywhere: … Read More
Polarization or dialogue?
Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time “Will the Catholic Church in the United States enter the new millennium as a church of promise? . . . Or will it become a church on the defensive, torn by dissension?” asked Cardinal Joseph … Read More
The trembling beauty of Christ
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time—A Today’s passage from Matthew is a turning point. It is the first time Jesus reveals the cost of discipleship. From now on, the focus will be on that cross until it becomes the way of … Read More
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time—A As Catholics aligned with Peter, we know the answer to Jesus’s second question: “Who do you say that I am?” However, perhaps the more pressing question today is his first: “Who do people say that … Read More
Who has a right to God’s mercy and salvation?
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time—A Our churches are blessedly becoming more diverse as our neighborhoods continue to receive people from every race, language, and culture. But this has not come without challenges. Some parishioners have had to let go of … Read More
Glory in the goodness of God
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary—A “From this day all generations will call me blessed” (Lk 1:48). I’ve always had a hard time praying that line in the Magnificat. Isn’t Mary, meek and humble, being a bit boastful here? So … Read More
Turn to Christ, and follow
19th Sunday in Ordinary Time—A In Matthew, Mark, and John, Jesus’s miracles of feeding the multitude and walking on water are connected because both concern the disciple’s need to trust completely in him. In the first, we are called to … Read More
Offer your powerlessness to Jesus
18th Sunday in Ordinary Time—A Time and again, all over the United States, have I been refused food by the big house on the hill; and always have I received food from the little shack down by the creek or … Read More
Live in closeness
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time—A I’ve just listened to a podcast geared toward millennials (I’m not one) that teaches them life skills. Today’s episode was on how to study. In college, my study habits involved the usual mix of rereading, … Read More