Today’s gospel reading is pretty self-explanatory. Jesus reminds us we need not babble and add a bunch of unneeded words to our prayer. Be direct and concise. Your Father knows what you need. He Knows God knows what we are thinking. He knows what we need before we ask for…
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“Be careful not to practice your righteousness before others to be admired by them.” (Mtt. 6:1) Today’s Gospel puts us at a crossroads: in life we must choose whether to be admired by others or to be seen in secret by the Father’s heart and be blessed. Beautiful things, like…
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In today’s Gospel (Matthew 5:43-48), Jesus delivers one of His most counter-cultural commands: “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” He points out that even corrupt tax collectors and pagans love those who love them back. Christ, thus, demands a higher standard for His followers, challenging us…
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Today’s First Reading (1 Kings 21:1-16) introduces us to a man who has everything, yet felt he had nothing because of one small missing piece. He is a concrete example of a man afflicted by the vice of “just a little more”. King Ahab looks out his palace window and…
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In life, it is more common to encounter people who feel troubled, tired and abandoned. I have encountered many exhausted people. I have, myself, also felt troubled and exhausted many times because of life’s difficulties. That physical tiredness, however, could be a symptom of an inner weariness. Perhaps it’s a…
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The devotion to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Mother Mary grew gradually in the life of the Church. Christians first honored Mary’s holiness because of her unique role as the Mother of Jesus. The biblical root of this feast is found especially in the Gospel of Luke, where Mary…
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On the occasion of the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus let us focus on the development of the Feast and on aids to its proper devotion. The Devotion Every year, 19 days after Pentecost the Church celebrates this Solemnity. The Devotion to His Wounded Heart began in…
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Today is the Feast of Saint Barnabas, a man whose very name means “Son of Encouragement”. He was not one of the original twelve apostles of Christ, but he was actively involved in the life of the early Christian communities. Barnabas stands out because he excelled at something deeply human…
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“Which god do you pray to?” This question, posed to me many years ago by a Hindu acquaintance at a family gathering, bewildered me when I first heard it. Though I knew little of God in those days before faith, I understood that God, whoever He was, must be one;…
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The words of Jesus in today’s Gospel are among the most powerful descriptions of the Christian identity: “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world.” The full impact of these expressions is drawn from the hermeneutics (interpretation) of salt and light, especially in…
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