Be the Salt of the Earth and the Light of the World Following upon the teaching of the Beatitudes, Jesus uses the now familiar metaphors of salt and light to describe the life of discipleship. We take salt and light for granted in our society, but these commodities were more precious in ancient cultures. Just…
Christ Has no Body but Yours The gospel reading for this week includes the beatitudes as told by the book of Matthew. These beautiful promises and blessings are the foundation of the ethos of Christian teaching on humility, justice, compassion, and love. The beatitudes are a sense of comfort for many Christians. Christ has…
Jesus Calls His First Disciples Today’s Gospel describes the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. When Jesus returns from the desert, he hears that John has been arrested. Matthew wants to show that Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies given to the people of Israel, and he refers to Isaiah to do so. Isaiah…
The Gospel this Sunday serves as a bracing wake-up call as we return once more into Ordinary Time. After the merriment of Christmas — packages and parties, carols and cooking, broken toys and broken diets — we get down to the hard work of ordinary life. There are lights to unplug, tinsel to toss. We…
Why would Jesus, without sin, want or need to be baptized? Here we see that God is not a distant God but rather comes to our lives, our wounds, our fears, and even our hopes. God enters the spaces where we feel abandoned, overwhelmed, or unworthy. God does not abandon us, but enters the waters…
Even When the World is Grim, Let Christ be Your Joy Today’s Gospel invite us to be open to wisdom from unexpected places. In the first century, the Magi were people whom most Jews would regard as hostile. They were pagan sorcerers, yet in Matthew’s story they understood the signs and sought after Jesus.…
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…