The First Sunday of Advent – December 3, 2023 The thirteenth chapter of Mark’s Gospel is a strange place to begin Advent. Today’s passage comes right before Jesus’s passion, and the marking of the nightwatch hours foreshadows what comes next: … Read More
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe – November 26, 2023 “Lord, when did we see you?” ask the sheep and goats in today’s final parable of Matthew’s Gospel on this last Sunday of the liturgical … Read More
33rd Sunday Ordinary Time – A – November 19, 2023 Don’t be tempted to give a simplistic interpretation of today’s Gospel that sounds like a lesson in good investment practices or a lead-in to the annual stewardship appeal. Instead, think … Read More
32nd Sunday Ordinary Time – A – November 12, 2023 For those who live in earthquake country, the thought of “the big one” cannot consume our lives lest we live in constant fear. Similarly, I doubt today’s Gospel calls us … Read More
31st Sunday Ordinary Time – A – September 24, 2023 A wise bishop and canon lawyer once told me that canon law is ultimately meant to be pastoral, and when it ceases to be pastoral, it is no longer law. … Read More
Solemnity of All Saints and The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) So much of our Christian faith is grounded in embracing death. In baptism we are plunged into fonts that often bear similarities to tombs. Saint days … Read More
30th Sunday Ordinary Time – A – September 24, 2023 Today, Jesus reveals what faithfulness to God’s law looks like—complete and total love of God, neighbor, and self. Combining love of God (Dt 6:5) with love of one’s neighbor as … Read More
29th Sunday Ordinary Time – A – September 24, 2023 This week, the Pharisees and their own rivals, the Herodians, join forces to get Jesus to publicly implicate himself as anti-Roman, guaranteeing his arrest. However, Jesus leaves everyone amazed with … Read More
28th Sunday Ordinary Time – A – September 24, 2023 This Sunday’s parable of the wedding feast is a difficult one to preach. If we take the parable to be an allegory about God (the king) and who gets invited … Read More
27th Sunday Ordinary Time – A – September 24, 2023 Jesus turns up the heat this week, recounting another parable to confront the chief priests and elders of Jerusalem. Because the lectionary pairs it with Isaiah’s song of the vineyard, … Read More