Posts by Paul Verderber
A Sort of Homecoming
Today we read in the Gospel of Matthew that Jesus comes home and does some teaching in the synagogue. He gets a less than warm welcome. The locals take offense at how learned and wise he has become and are stunned by the mighty deeds that he has done during his ever-growing ministry. A round…
Read MoreDon’t Look Back
Lot, his wife, and their kids got the word to leave Sodom and Gomorrah, as those cities and the plain they resided on were to be destroyed very soon. Lot and his family were given a reprieve from moving all the way to the mountains and got the OK to make Zoar their safe destination,…
Read MoreObey, Teach, Live
Today’s Gospel from Matthew focuses on the Ten Commandments. As I teach in Sunday School, there are indeed ten of them. We don’t just get to pick the top five or top eight that we want to follow easily. It is not like a menu in a restaurant, where you pick what you like, or…
Read More7 Grooms for 1 Bride
In the 1950s, there was a movie called 7 Brides for 7 Brothers. It was a funny movie about how the brothers were able to match up with their soon to be wives. My mother-in-law likes old movies, so I probably watched it with her sometime in the last 10 years or so. The title…
Read MoreAnd With Your Spirit
Every time we go to Mass, we reply back to the Priest with the words, “and with your spirit”, and sometimes we lift up our hands in praise. This phrase changed a few years back, but most of us are getting used to this new wording. When I go to Mass with fallen away Catholics,…
Read MoreHave Peace in Me
I was driving home from an appointment and decided to listen to a talk show to help pass the time. What came on seemed to link directly to today’s readings. Life often matches the readings! Depression on the Rise in the USA The commentator shared facts about the rampant rise in depression, especially among young…
Read MoreLearning by Association
Once Saul had his conversion to Paul, he became one of the best teachers of the faith we ever had. He traveled far and near, through trials and tribulations, to “run his race.” Today’s first reading put him in Antioch. Lineage 101 He is at the synagogue, and accepts an offer to speak, which I…
Read MoreIn Between
We come to Holy Saturday, and it is a grand day for the new recruits joining our Church, and we need more and more of them. Also, we know that it is one of the longest Masses of the year, and a lot of ground gets covered. Perhaps too much ground to cover for me!…
Read MoreQuiet and Loud Denials
I didn’t eat the cookies off the countertop, says the child with crumbs all over his face. I didn’t break the speed limit, says the driver, despite seeing the radar report from the highway patrolman. And, I didn’t spread that rumor about you, despite the “receipts” on the social media account. I didn’t commit the…
Read MoreRules and Relationship
Today’s readings seem to be all about rules and following the rules. We start with Moses telling us to observe the statutes and decrees. He says that today is the day to start following the rules, not later. If we follow the rules, we will end up in a good place, with the Lord our…
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