On today’s Feast of the Holy Family, our readings offer us clear instructions for family life. While Paul’s call from the second reading to “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” can seem impossible, the Gospel reminds us that a holy family is not necessarily a picture-perfect one. The Gospel portrays Joseph, Mary, and Jesus uprooted…
God has Become Human to Renew our Communal Bonds Today’s Gospel reading points us to the theme of relationship, to call our attention to our bond of union with God and with one another. Through Mary, the daughter of Joachim and Ann, and Joseph, the son of David, God comes to abide with us,…
This week’s Gospel Reading continues our Advent reflection on the person and message of John the Baptist. This week, we hear Jesus’ message to John the Baptist, now in prison, about the signs of the kingdom found in Jesus’ ministry and Jesus’ assessment of John’s role in the Kingdom of God. John sends word to…
Let God’s Peace and Justice Flourish through your Lives In this season of Advent, the church presents John the Baptist to us as a model. John teaches us that waiting for the coming of Christ is not merely a joyful expectation—it is also careful preparation. It requires a commitment to making the world more…
Be prepared, Salvation is Near Today is the first Sunday of Advent, which is also the first Sunday of a new liturgical year for the Church. It is a time of preparation for the coming of the Lord. Key themes of the Advent season are watchful waiting, preparation, and justice. In today’s Gospel, we…
Lord Jesus, your Kingdom come! Today, the last Sunday of the Church year, we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. It is one of the most beautiful and meaningful feasts of the year. The concept of king and kingdom is at the very heart of Jesus’ message to us. He came to inaugurate…
Today’s Gospel appears near the end of Jesus’ teaching in Jerusalem, just prior to the events that will lead to his crucifixion. His warnings and predictions are ominous but can be read in many ways. Luke here tries to interpret the fall of Jerusalem for them and to locate it in God’s plans for humankind…
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica Here is a phrase you are going to hear a lot in the coming weeks: “Home for the holidays.” Whoever used it first was a genius, identifying a fundamental fact of life: When it really matters, we want to go home. A solemnity is the highest…
In Jesus’ day, tax collectors were not popular people. They were collaborators with the Romans and were despised by many Jewish people. Observers in the crowd that day grumble because Jesus dines with a sinner. Throughout Scripture, Jesus’ choice of dinner companions set him apart from other observant Jews of his time. In first century…
Today’s gospel is addressed to “those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.” The parable’s message goes further than to simply encourage generic humility. Jesus targets the disdain for others at the core of this particular type of spiritual pride. It is not only the confidence of the Pharisee that is…