Posts by Fr. Mike Moore
The Stone Rejected by the Builders
“The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.” This quote from today’s gospel is well-known to anyone familiar with Scripture. Old Testament Psalm 118 is the Old Testament source of Jesus’ quote. It is a psalm of thanksgiving, in which the psalmist praises God for delivering him from pagan armies. The ‘stone’ seems…
Read MoreThe Way, the Truth and the Life
As we continue hearing from Jesus’ discourse at the Last Supper, we consider today these beautiful words of Jesus: “I am the way, the truth and the life.” You might see this inscription with old artistic depictions of Jesus: “Ego sum via et veritas et vita.” In Latin they are words that all start with…
Read MoreThe Pilgrimage of Egeria
There is a fascinating historical document from the late 4th century. Around 381, a woman from what is now Spain decided to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. She spent about three years in the Holy Land and wrote down what she saw and experienced. Her writing is now known as The Pilgrimage of Egeria. Egeria…
Read MoreThe Great Transfiguration of our Lord
Every year on this Second Sunday of Lent we consider this great event of the Transfiguration of our Lord. Jesus appears in all his glory along with Moses and Elijah to his three closest apostles. Elijah the Prophet One interesting aspect of this apparition is the fact that Elijah is present alongside Moses. In the…
Read MorePope Benedict XVI (1927-2022)
It happened to us Catholics again. When St. Teresa of Calcutta died in 1997, her death got little attention in the secular media, which was still fixated on the death of Princess Diana which had occurred a couple of weeks prior. Now, when Pope Benedict XVI has died, there is more attention given to Pele,…
Read MoreThe Apostle John and the Life of Love
John has perhaps the most distinctive style of writing in the Bible. Just reading or hearing a short passage from his writing is usually enough to identify him as the author. He is a writer of contradictions. He does not explain truth in an orderly, didactic way, but puts down what he has to write…
Read MoreA Healing
Today’s gospel presents us with one of my favorite healings of Jesus. A big part of the appeal of this account is the scene it presents. Jesus is in a house, and the house is packed full of people listening to him teach. Mass in Siberia This reminds me of the two summers I spent…
Read MoreDishonest Wealth
“I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails you may be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” A Curious Parable Today’s opening statement from the gospel is actually a continuation from yesterday’s gospel, which is for me the most curious of all Jesus’ parables. A steward, an administrator who is…
Read MoreSt. Faustina
Today is the optional memorial of one of the most popular saints of our day, St. Faustina. Faustina grew up in Poland. From the age of seven she felt a call to religious life. She asked her parents’ permission for this when she was 18, but they refused. “After this refusal, I turned myself over…
Read MoreHuman Labor
Today we observe Labor Day and consider the importance of work in our lives. When I think of Labor Day, I remember living in eastern Europe just a few years after the fall of Communism. They still celebrated May Day, the great Communist holiday adulating work. People joked that they took time off work to…
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