Jesus’ compassion Today’s Gospel completes a picture of Jesus’ ministry: preaching, curing the sick, driving out demons, and then moving on to continue this work in another place. Mark’s Gospel tells us that Jesus did this throughout Galilee. Jesus’ compassion and healing of the sick is a sign of the Kingdom of God. The…
Authority Figures Who do you consider authoritative? Pope Francis and other church leaders are probably on your list. When Jesus came “teaching with authority,” people wondered if they should add him to their list of authoritative figures. Four Galilean fishermen had already put Jesus right at the top, but other people, including those who also…
January 21, 2024 Jesus Calls the Fishermen to be His Disciples Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus called his first disciples and the immediacy with which these men dropped everything to follow him. We can only begin to imagine what Jesus’ presence must have been like to invoke such a response in these first disciples.…
January 14, 2024 Images of God What is your image of God? Jesus, the gentle shepherd? God in those first days of creation? Maybe at different times you pray to different images of God. There are days I sense the Spirit’s presence like the embrace of a lifelong friend and other times I tremble…
The Manifestation of Jesus ChristHaving celebrated the glory of God that appeared at the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at Christmas, we celebrate today, on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, the manifestation of God’s salvation in Christ for all peoples. The Church gathers in prayer before the God who,…
Mary’s Example of FaithOn this fourth Sunday of Advent, the liturgy shifts our attention from John the Baptist to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Both John and Mary serve as important figures for our reflection during the season of Advent; they both played instrumental roles in preparing the way for Jesus. This week we reflect upon Mary’s example of faith and obedience…
December 31, 2023 Finding God with the Holy FamilyDevotion to the Holy Family began the very same night Jesus was born. And what a strange occurrence: that the very first people to adore God made human were shepherds. It was not kings, it was not priests, it was not the rich and mighty. The witnesses to God’s greatest miracle, found in the…
Joy to the WorldToday, the third Sunday of Advent is called ‘Guadete Sunday’ which means ‘Joy’ or Rejoice’. Theopening antiphon for today’s liturgy asks us to Rejoice is the Lord always; again I say rejoice. Indeed the Lord is near. Today, on our Advent Wreath we light our pink candle to mark this day of…
Prepare the Way of the LordOn this the Second Sunday of Advent, we are invited to reflect upon the role of John the Baptist, whoprepared the way for Jesus and the salvation that he would bring to us. In today’s Gospel we hear John the Baptist contrast his baptism of repentance with the baptism that…
Would That You Might Meet Us Doing Right As we begin another liturgical year, the readings pick up right where we left off last week: focusing on the second coming of Christ. Whereas in the gospel, Mark presents Jesus issuing a stern warning “What I say to you I say to all: Watch!”. However, It…