The Light You Lit in My Life Still Burns                   Jesus in the gospel begins his public ministry and faces opposition and rejection. Here, we find an all too human reality—the failure to clearly see the presence of God in others, the failure to recognize what God is doing in our lives, and the failure…

Bring Glad Tidings to the Poor                   In today’s Gospel Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returns to Galilee and reads from the scroll of Isaiah in the synagogue of Nazareth. His proclamation that the spirit of the Lord is upon him, anointing him to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim…

How Can We Serve Christ’s Mission?                   This Sunday’s gospel reading about the wedding at Cana. Jesus and Mary are at this wedding as guests. It is important to note that a guest at a traditional Jewish wedding feast was not to step outside their role and start operating as if they were father or…

Jesus is Baptized by John                In today’s Gospel, as in the other Gospel accounts of Jesus’ baptism, we hear John the Baptist address the confusion of the people who thought that John might be the Messiah. In response, John contrasts the baptism that he performs with the Baptism that Jesus will inaugurate. John the…

The Magi Seek Out Jesus and Do Him Homage                   The visit of the Magi occurs directly before the story of the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt. Matthew’s Gospel tells a version of Jesus’ birth that is different than the one in Luke. Of the actual birth of Jesus, Matthew tells us little more than,…

A Child’s Wisdom                Our gospel today is one with which many of us are familiar. We often relate to Mary and Joseph in this story and the fear they must have felt as they searched for their son (Luke 2:44–45). However, I often think of the teachers and people in the synagogue. They did…

Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord                   On this the last Sunday before Christmas, our Gospel reading prepares us to witness Christ’s birth by showing us how Jesus was recognized as Israel’s long-awaited Messiah even before his birth. Our Gospel reading recalls Mary’s actions after the announcement of Jesus’ birth by the angel…

The justice of God is the Joy of the Poor                On this Gaudete Sunday, this gospel invites us to reflect on something unique as the foundation of the source of our Joy: Sharing what we have as a source of God’s justice for the poor. Today, the third Sunday of Advent, let us remind…

Prepare the Way for Justice                This week Gospel readings invite us to consider John the Baptist and his relationship to Jesus. John the Baptist appears in the tradition of the great prophets, preaching repentance and reform to the people of Israel. To affirm this, Luke quotes at length from the prophet Isaiah. John baptizes…

As we begin another liturgical year, our world cries out, begging for peace. On this first Sunday of Advent, God hears the sorrowful laments of many throughout the world, from Ukraine to Sudan to the Middle East. So many of us, myself included, want peace. During these terrible times, I am reminded of Pope Paul…