Daily Reflections
Created things can easily draw our gaze away from the One who fashioned them. The world is drenched in goodness, so much so that its radiance can eclipse our desire to look beyond it. A simple domestic scene teaches the point: once a meal is served, the cook is forgotten;…
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Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, the Word of God today invites us to open our hearts to the very mystery of God’s presence in our lives. The first reading from the Book of Wisdom paints an image of divine wisdom as a living spirit, full of light and goodness.…
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Rigorous scrutiny of those in power. Today’s first reading at Mass contains a warning for those in power to rule justly, as God would. The broader application The opening verses of the passage warn those who rule over others to “hear” and “learn” as one who is guided by humility.…
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“We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do”. (Luke 17:10) · LI Unprofitable? In what sense? Does it mean that we are of no use at all? Jesus did not say these words in today’s Gospel to humiliate us or make us feel we are…
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Have you ever wondered what allows some people to believe, while others do not? What special trait or disposition of mind equips one person to participate in faith, while another continues in his own ways? Why do some souls readily see the deeper layers of reality, while others see only…
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The Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica is a reminder that the Church is our home in God. It is also an invitation to reverence God in our bodies as God’s living temple. The Church refers to the Lateran Basilica as “Mater et Caput,” meaning “mother and head”…
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Dear friends, in today’s Gospel (Luke 16:9–15), Jesus reminds us of something deeply challenging, namely, the importance of being faithful and trustworthy in the small things of life. He tells us that those who can be trusted with little can also be trusted with much. At first glance, the passage…
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Today’s Gospel records the parable of the wasteful steward who, in order to be received favorably by his master’s debtors after he was justly dismissed from the role of steward, artificially lowered the amounts they owed to his master by having them write new promissory notes. Jesus ends the parable…
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In today’s Gospel, we hear how the Pharisees and scribes grumbled amongst themselves when they saw how Jesus welcomed and ate with tax collectors and sinners. In reply, Jesus offers two parables that show God’s reaction to sinners. Although both images would have been familiar to His listeners, what would…
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I understand if you feel that today’s readings seem to present a paradox to us. How do we reconcile Jesus’ command “to hate” (which is the accurate translation of Jesus’s words as opposed to “love more” or “prefer”) recorded in the Gospel with St. Paul’s call to “owe nothing to…
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