Something New in Us In Jesus we begin to understand the wonder contained in the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Remember not the events of the past; see, I am doing something new.” The truth is: Jesus knows our sins better than anyone, even us. But he chooses not to condemn us. Jesus doesn’t…
Pause in the Time of Uncertainty Familiarity with the parable of the prodigal son may breed superficiality. Hearing the parable year after year might cause us to breeze past the hardship, knowing that a beautiful scene of contrition, mercy and fundamental goodness awaits. No judgement here. After all, we need stories of grace that reassure…
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the fig tree which was planted but bore no fruit for three years. Rather than tearing the tree down, the gardener insists on giving it the chance to grow for one more year. He hopes the tree may strengthen and bear fruit, if only he fertilizes…
The gospel writers were aware of the significance of a mountain, with its connotations of struggle, achievement, and revelation. The Ten Commandments were given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The Transfiguration of Jesus could have no better setting than to take place on a mountain. On that mountain, which took a bit of an effort…
In the Desert, Jesus is Tempted by the Devil In each of the three Synoptic Gospels, after his baptism, Jesus is reported to have spent forty days in the desert, fasting and praying. The devil tempts Jesus to use his power to appease his hunger, he offers Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if…
The gospel reading today reminds us that the moral value of our actions in community really does relate to actual, material outcomes. This doesn’t mean there’s no room for mistakes. Sometimes our intentions are good, but things don’t work out. Sometimes a situation is beyond our control. Sometimes there’s information I’m missing. If repeatedly, over…
Jesus Calls Us to Love Whether we are interacting with friends or enemies, our attitude, from which our actions follow, should be one of love. None of us have a problem loving the friends and family members we get along with; it’s loving the enemy that challenges us. Our enemies are those who purposefully and…
Like a Tree Planted Near Running Water Today’s scriptures emphasize is that God’s smile rests upon those whose desire is for God, whose longing is for life with God. God promises that this desire will always be satisfied. Interestingly, both the prophet Jeremiah and the psalmist offer us the same image of what life looks like…
What does it mean to be a leader? In today’s gospel, Jesus speaks about the truth of the enduring presence of God in human affairs. The crowd is spellbound by his teachings. And his words find concrete expression in the miracle of the fish, as despondent fishermen became astonished and overjoyed with their catch.…
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…