Sacrifice of the Heart

People viewing the sunset from the snow

“For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6). The verse we have quoted above is from the first reading of today, and it expresses the thought, the synthesis of the intuition which Hosea the prophet has about God. The whole meaning of Christ’s love…

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Mountain Experience

In the Bible, the mountain always has a special meaning: it is the high place, where heaven and earth “meet,” and where Moses and the prophets had the extraordinary experience of encountering God. Climbing the mountain means getting a little closer to God. The Gospel of today presents us the mountain experience of the apostles…

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Sharing in the Priesthood of Christ

Jesus or Melchizedek? The first reading of today (Hebrews 7:1-3; 15-17) presents us with the mysterious figure of Melchizedek (king of Salem and priest of God Most High). Interestingly, we can ask ourselves whether Jesus, who is the eternal High Priest, is a priest in the likeness of Melchizedek, or if Melchizedek is the one…

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St. Joseph and the Holy Act of Discernment

St. Joseph and the Holy Act of Discernment

Discerning good from evil, right from wrong, the essential from the useless, has not been an easy task for many people. The need for “wide-ranging” discernment affects every human being, committed to seeking motivation, to making choices not only in view of immediate well-being, but also to give meaning to one’s existence. Discerning is accepting…

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Sweet-Bitter

Sweet Bitter By Fr. John Bosco Obiako

Last Sunday, I attended Mass in a nearby parish, and there was another visiting priest. The Parish Priest was away on a spiritual retreat. I presided at the Mass while the other priest preached the homily. He was very good and made a positive impression in his preaching. The parishioners remained thrilled all through, and…

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Honoring Saint Luke the Evangelist

With joy today the Church remembers and honors Saint Luke the Evangelist. Luke, a disciple of Paul of Tarsus, a native of Antioch. And, recognized as the author of the third Gospel as well as the Acts of the Apostles. He is a very great personality. The Saints as Real People The Church, in her…

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We are all Administrators

Life in general has shown that we are all administrators in one way or the other; of our lives, talents, and the goods bequeathed to us by God. But sometimes, we can cheat and manipulate others around us in the way we live our lives. In our personal vocabulary, the verbs ‘to cheat’ and ‘to…

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Gift of a New Heart

The prophet Ezekiel, in the first reading of today, announces an extraordinary outpouring of the Spirit, whereby the Lord pours out in the hearts of the people a feeling of sincere repentance for their sins (Ez 36:25). And a passionate search for the divine will. The vertex of the passage is at vv. 26f, in…

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Looking for a Sign

When we look for a sign of why we lack trust in the Lord, our religious quest is no longer authentic, and we fall into the economy of success, rejecting the humble one of the kingdom. Of course, we say that we are looking for signs, success, to give glory to God, but in reality,…

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Looking Beyond our Role Models

Looking Beyond our Role Models

The Bible is the book that God has given us to let us know Him, and to let us know how to live. Sometimes, however, it is not always easy for us to understand the lesson. For example, one might ask: Of what relevance is the account of the lives of the many kings of…

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