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…
Persistency in Prayer God’s love never fails and God will love us to the end, and even more into eternity. Yes, God is faithful, but what of our own faith? Persistence in prayer is not to be understood as trying to change God’s mind, as if God was unwilling to help us in the…
In all circumstances, give thanks to the Lord Today we hear about how Jesus, continuing on his journey to Jerusalem, heals 10 lepers. This story is a lesson about faith and reminds us that faith is sometimes found in unlikely places. Ten people afflicted with leprosy cry out to Jesus. Struck with pity, Jesus…
Faith and service to God In today’s Gospel we hear Jesus teach about faith and service to God. The context is a continuing dialogue between Jesus and his followers about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Jesus has just finished an instruction on sin and forgiveness. There are two related teachings…
Happy are Those Who Find Solace in God In today’s Gospel, Jesus contrasts the life of a rich man and the poor man, Lazarus, who lives in the shadow of the rich man and his wealth. Both die. Lazarus finds himself in heaven; the rich man in the netherworld. The rich man asks for…