Posts by Fr. Mike Moore
The Prophet Nahum
We all know that some parts of Scripture are more well-known, are more often read than others. Among the lesser-read books are those of the twelve minor prophets. And among the lesser-read of the minor prophets is surely the prophet Nahum. Today, in fact, is the only time in the Church’s calendar that we hear…
Read MoreSt. Elizabeth of Portugal and the Beatitudes
We in America celebrate today the feast of St. Elizabeth of Portugal, whose day falls on the 4th in the rest of the world. This remarkable queen showed clearly that even people in power, people of royal status, can be saints. Sometimes we Catholics hear exaggerated stories of the saints. When I was pastor of…
Read MoreThe Holy Spirit
On this glorious day of Pentecost we celebrate the coming of the great Holy Spirit. On this tremendous day, the object of the first novena in Church history, we consider the Third Person of the Trinity. There is so much truth given to us about the Holy Spirit in our faith. I am going to…
Read MoreDeacon Philip and the Ethiopian
I absolutely love the story of Deacon Philip and the Ethiopian! Many Preachers of the Good News First, it shows how the whole body of believers went out and evangelized after Pentecost, not just the apostles. Unfortunately we have a small written record of the Church after Pentecost, and most of it describes the apostolates…
Read MoreThe Full Sense of Scripture
In today’s readings Jesus gives us a way to interpret the Old Testament that has been very influential in the Church. In the famous episode from the wanderings of the chosen people after the Exodus, Moses constructs a bronze serpent and sets it on a pole. Whoever among those bitten by the poisonous serpents looks…
Read MoreHoly Lent
Lent again! The gospel of Ash Wednesday sets the tone for the readings in these first couple of weeks of Lent. In it Jesus promotes and expounds on three practices: almsgiving, prayer and fasting. These are the three aspects of Lent especially promoted by the Church since the time of the Church Fathers. Positive Aspect…
Read MoreThe Seeker of Wisdom
Here we see Solomon at his best. He has been named David’s successor, he has successfully fought off challenges to this succession, and now he is ready to embark on the great adventure of governing Israel. Awesome are the Lord’s words to him: “Because you have asked… not for a long life for yourself, nor…
Read MoreFear and Perfect Love
During different times of the year, we hear in the Mass especially from different authors of the Bible. In Advent, for example, we hear particularly from the prophet Isaiah foretelling the person of the Messiah. In this time after Christmas, we read from the writings of the apostle John. Perfect Love John has gone down…
Read MoreCrossing the Rubicon
I remember the first time I crossed the Rubicon; or, rather, the second time I crossed the Rubicon. Julius Caesar ‘Crossing the Rubicon’ is a phrase made famous by Julius Caesar, when he rebelled against the authorities of the Roman Republic and seized power for himself. The Rubicon River in northeastern Italy marked a provincial…
Read MoreGood Things Now and Later
Today’s gospel puzzled me for years, from the moment I first read it. It seems that Jesus is praising fraud. Unsatisfying Answers I asked fellow college students in a Bible study about it, but got unsatisfying answers. I heard homilies about it—one in particular, when the priest made an elaborate joke about the passage—which did…
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