Jesus is such a great teacher. His parables draw us in, have surprising elements and stunning lessons at the end. Jesus was well aware of Ezekiel’s preaching during the Exile that we have been hearing for the past few weeks. Ezekiel was full of …

In today’s Old Testament Reading (Ezekiel 34:1-11), Ezekiel indicts Israel’s leaders (the shepherds) for their failure to care for the nation (the flock). In Ezekiel’s time, Israel’s leaders oppressed the people by looking only to their own interests by clothing and feeding themselves at …

Many of the readers of these Daily Reflections come from different faith traditions than do we Catholics.  We have Orthodox followers, Protestants, Muslims, Sikhs, and even a few atheists.   Occasionally, I receive thoughtful questions from one of them that make me think through …

The death of the prophet’s wife (Ezekiel 24:15-24) becomes a symbol of how the people are to respond to the loss of their Temple. God warns Ezekiel that he is going to lose his wife, the “delight of [his] eyes”, through sudden illness and …

No matter what our political leanings might be, it is evident that the challenge of crossing boundaries is at the heart of many of the issues facing our world today. Under what conditions should immigrants be allowed into our country? How do we navigate …

Solemnity Today, Catholics around the world celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, commemorating the end of her earthly life and her assumption into heaven, body and soul. While the solemnity is relatively new, the dogma of the Assumption of Mary, also called …

St. Maximilian Kolbe was born as Raymund Kolbe on January 8, 1894, in the Kingdom of Poland, then part of the Russian Empire. He was a Polish Conventual Franciscan friar and a martyr in the German death Camp of Auschwitz during World War II …

In today’s first reading (Ezekiel 12:1-12) Ezekiel is instructed by God to go through an elaborate mime as a message to his people waning them of the coming deportation of the people of Jerusalem into exile in Babylon. The people are described by God …

Yesterday we begin reading from the prophet Ezekiel. The language is often apocalyptic in style and full of symbolism. His special contribution to the prophetic tradition was through his interest in the Temple and how it related to liturgy. He also had a great …

You’ve got to be taughtTo hate and fear.You’ve got to be taughtFrom year to year.It’s got to be drummedIn your dear little ear.You’ve got to be carefully taught. You’ve got to be taughtTo be afraidOf people whose eyesAre oddly made,And people whose skinIs a …