Is this Parable Meant For Us or For Everyone?
19th Sunday of Ordinary Time Wisdom 18:6-9 Heb 11:1-2, 8-19 Luke 12:32-48 Saint Peter’s question is my question. Is the parable intended only for Jesus' twelve disciples and Church leaders? Or does it apply to everyone? I would add, is the parable still applicable...
Why Does God Call the Rich Man a Fool?
18th Sunday Ordinary Time Ecc 1:2; 2:21-23 Col 3:1-5; 9-11 Lk 12:13-21 What is so foolish about building enough storage capacity to prevent the food you have grown from rotting? On the contrary, it seems it would be wasteful, even "foolish," not to construct...
Does Jesus Promise That All Our Prayers Will Be Answered?
17th Sunday Ordinary Time Luke 11:1-13 It would seem from this Sunday’s readings that the answer is, "Yes!" We read in Luke 11:9-10 that Jesus says, “And I tell you, ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you....
Is There Sexism in the Mary and Martha Story?
16th Sunday Ordinary Time Gen 18:1-10a Col. 1:24-28 Luke 10:38-42 She's In the Tent In this week's Old Testament lesson, Abraham's divine guests ask him where his wife is. "She's in the tent," Abraham replies. In this example of Old Testament hospitality, Sarah, it...
Who Is My Neighbor? 15th Sunday Ordinary Time–Part II
Does Jesus Answer the Lawyer’s Question? No! Most commentators miss this critical dimension of the all-too familiar story of the Good Samaritan. Luke 10:29-37 Image by falco from Pixabay The lawyer asks, “Who is my neighbor?” What lies behind this question? The lawyer...
Creative Fidelity: 15th Sunday Ordinary Time
What Does it Mean to Love God with All Your Mind? The 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time--Part 1 Luke 10:25-37 In this Sunday’s gospel reading Jesus gives us the Great Commandment and then demonstrates how we can fulfill it. The first gospel to be written, Mark, has...
Spreading Jesus’ Message: 14th Sunday Ordinary Time
Is 66:10-14c Gal 6:14-18 Lk 10:1-12; 17-20 When I first read it, this gospel passage raised a lot of hard to answer questions, at least to my mind. For example, why does Jesus tell his followers to greet no one along the way? Isn’t he telling them to be rude? Even...
Separating Church from State: The Right to Religious Freedom
\ Why Is it a Bad Idea for Church and State to Be Too Close? Some of our elected representatives are questioning America's traditional separation of church and state. On Tuesday, after winning her primary, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo) said, "I'm tired of this...
13th Sunday of Ordinary Time
I Kings 19:16b, 19-21 Gal 5:1, 13-18 Luke 9:51-62 Some Questions The passages from I Kings and Luke suggest family duties can sometimes conflict with following God's commands. Have you ever experienced this in your own life or seen it in the lives of others? Why does...
Body and Blood of Christ
Gen 14:18-20; I Cor 11:23-26; Luke 9:11b-17 The Solemnity of the Body Blood of Christ - June 19 On Corpus Christi we Catholic celebrate the Real Presence of the body and blood of Jesus Christ in the bread and wine of the Eucharist. This is tough even for most...
