Sunday Reflections

            Last Sunday Jesus asked James and John a question: “What do you want me to do for you?”  In response, they asked for seats at his right and his left when he comes in glory.  Jesus had just finished telling the disciples that he was to go to Jerusalem where he would suffer and die before rising on the third day.  In response to news of Jesus’ impending death, James and John ask for seats of glory.  (It is worth pointing out that the other ten disciples are no better.  The gospel tells us that “they be

Perseverance is a great virtue.  Many times in the world today we expect things to be done in a moment – just add water and stir.  Things of value are not acquired in a moment, but require a dedication and persistence.  We cannot give up, or give in, but persevere in responding to God and doing his will.  The persistence of the widow in the gospel today calls us to also be persevering in our prayer before God.  We may see ourselves as “pestering” God, but many times our perseverance is the means by which our prayer is purified, that we go from telling God how to ans

It is interesting that in the Gospel, the rich young man seems to have things in order concerning his relationships with others. He seems to be keeping the last seven commandments well.  But, he makes no mention of his following the first three commandments that we usually understand to be connected with our relationship with God.  Jesus understands this and realizes that this young man, who is rich, has put others things before his relationship with God. This is why Jesus tells him that he must leave all behind.

At the parish where I assist—St.

It is only natural that we prefer ‘good’ news over ‘bad news’.  Jesus came to give ‘good news’, as he was the Good News.  Yet, at times, he brought what appeared to be ‘bad news’.  He challenged his listeners, he warned against sin and evil, and he condemned the actions of many.  There is a price to pay with the ‘bad news’, calling us to change and transformation through the power of God’s grace.  If we are deaf to the ‘bad news’ we continue in our sin and separate ourselves from God, and fall out of harmony with others.  Through God’s grace the ‘bad news’ is t

A wife was married to a man who was a full sized egotist. Every action was a sign of his egotism, always better than someone else. He was the greatest, at least in his own eyes. No matter what the wife would do, or would try to fix, he was # one. One day, at the circus, he decided to tell his wife that he was going to weigh himself. What a “diagnosis” he got! The machine said he was charming, intelligent, sexy, a magnetic personality. “Well,” said the egotist, “what do you think of that? It sees me as I am”.

The disciples, especially in the person of Peter, do not want to hear about Jesus’ future suffering and death when Jesus talks to them about what will happen to him in Jerusalem. Peter’s criticism of Jesus—rebuking Jesus for what He has said—stands in defiance of Jesus’ own acceptance of the path of suffering that is characterized so clearly in our first reading. Here we meet the “suffering servant” of Isaiah, who is willing to accept the scorn and humiliations imposed on him by others as he remains faithful to God’s call for him.

I often like to make a distinction between ‘hear’ and ‘listen’.  Hearing is a physiological function, whereas listening implies that we have not only heard, but that the word has touched us, and we will respond to what we have listened to.  Isaiah prophesizes about the “ears of the deaf unsealed”.  In the gospel, we see Jesus opening the ears of the deaf man, and loosening his tongue to speak.  Jesus says to us “Be opened” – be opened to listen to his words of life, and to the grace that he gives us; be opened to new opportunities that come our way to build up the kingdo

It was a Sunday afternoon! Only one parking spot was available on a one way street. My friend Fr. Nino was driving (Mario Andretti style) and he was confident he could get into the spot. So, he backed up perfectly, got into the space - and a whistle blew. A cop (in Bolivia) cited Fr. Nino for going in the wrong direction. Fr. Nino explained that the only way to park was to first back up (remembering it was a one way street) and then pull ahead. Right? “Wrong,” said the man, “You are going in the wrong direction, even though that was the only way to do it”.

The second reading (Ephesians 5:21-32) is one of the most misunderstood passages about marriage in the New Testament. I have learned a great deal about this passage from Michael Lawler, and will summarize his article “The Sacrament of Marriage: Biblical Basis” in Marriage and Sacrament (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1993): 36-51 below.