“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
    – Matthew 16:15

Did Jesus Fulfill the Law?

Sixth Sunday Ordinary Time Sirach 15:15–20 1 Corinthians 2:6–10 Matthew 5:17–37 Today’s gospel reading presents so many questions! Let’s start with the first three verses: “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law and the Prophets. I came not to destroy but...

How Are You Like Salt and Light?

5th Sunday Ordinary Time Is 58:7-10 I Cor 2:1-5 Mt 5:13-16 Matthew places today’s passage right after the beatitudes we read last week. How does going down those blessed pathways make us like salt and light? What’s So Great About Light and Salt? “Nothing is more...

Why Did the Magi Come to Worship Jesus?

Feast of the Epiphany Isaiah 60:1-6 Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6 Matthew 2:1-12 Let’s start out by stating we have no way of knowing whether the three Magi saw a star, spoke with King Herod, or visited Jesus and Mary. We don’t “need” to believe this...

Why Does Matthew’s Jesus Go to Egypt?

Feast of the Holy Family Sirach 3:2–6, 12–14 Colossians 3:12–21 or 12–17 Matthew 2:13–15, 19–23 We see in today’s readings St. Matthew, and the Church, emphasizing the continuity between Jesus and the Jewish prophetic religious tradition. By choosing the reading, the...

The Feast of the Nativity

Christmas Mass at Midnight The Feast of the Incarnation   Isaiah 9:1–6 2 Timothy 2:11–14 Luke 2:1–14 Image by Hans Rohmann from Pixabay The readings for this Mass are quite familiar to anyone with even a little exposure to Christianity. Luke is a masterful...