January 2025

God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name by having served and continuing to serve the holy ones. … So when God wanted to give the heirs of his promise an even clearer demonstration of the immutability of his purpose, he intervened with an […]

Today in the United States, some 96 years and 5 days after his birth on January 15, 1929, we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  He was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of a Baptist minister.  King earned a doctorate degree in theology and in 1955 helped organize the first major

Today’s Old Testament Reading (Isaiah 62:1-5), at first glance, appears to be added at the end of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah as an afterthought.  It appears as if the copy editor of the Book of Consolation, (Isaiah chapters 40-55) picked this poem off the Editorial Room floor, read it, and decided that at

Several themes are woven into the readings for today. Why is faith important to experiencing God’s presence in our lives?   Why do the Scribes and Pharisees have problems believing in Jesus.  Can the faith of our friends help us even when our own faith is weak? And what is this “eternal rest” that we

Several themes are woven into the readings for today. Why is faith important to experiencing God’s presence in our lives?   Why do the Scribes and Pharisees have problems believing in Jesus.  Can the faith of our friends help us even when our own faith is weak? And what is this “eternal rest” that we

In today’s readings, we hear again about Jesus retreating to a “deserted place” in order to be closer to God the Father.  The Letter to Hebrews (Hebrews 3:7-14) addresses Jewish Christians reminding them that they, too, have gone through a desert experience.  They, like their ancestors, are going through changes in their lives.  They have

In today’s Gospel (Mark 1:29-39), Jesus enters Peter’s home and immediately heals his mother-in-law, who was seriously ill to the point of death. Peter already had witnessed some of Christ’s miracles, but THIS healing, under HIS own roof, of a member of HIS own family, moves him deeply. Not only is she completely restored, but

Be warned! The lectionary cycle for daily Masses for Year I has begun! Year I is, of course, the first of two cycles of scripture readings for the Lectionary at weekday Masses. Year I begins with readings centered on Mark’s gospel.  So let’s quickly give an overview of Mark!  If I sound like I’m in

This week, the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church returns us to “Ordinary Time”, a time when we “count” the weeks, one after another.  Today, for instance, is the Monday of Week 1 in Ordinary Time.  But in English, “ordinary” has another meaning.  Using this meaning of “ordinary” might seem a bit peculiar, since the

Today we come to the end of the Christmas Season by celebrating the third great epiphany, the showing to the world God in human person.  The first ‘epiphany’ was at the birth of the child Jesus in the stable at Bethlehem, when he was visited by shepherds representing the poor, the marginalized and the sinful