Today’s Gospel presents us with the well-known parable of the Good Samaritan. And although we’ve certainly heard it before, we can consider, first, the context of the parable and, second, how to apply it to our lives. The Bloody Way The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was about twenty miles,…
My father was extremely sensitive to the way we asked him a question. He did not like it when we asked him a question that we knew the answer to. He also disliked when we asked a question in an ambiguous way, almost as if trying to test where he…
As I read the readings for today, I think about the voice of Jesus. I read the alleluia acclamation, and it says, “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” Imagine that. Jesus wants to speak to me. He wants to speak to my heart. During the Gospel,…
In Matthew’s Gospel, the disciples approached the Lord Jesus with a striking question: “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven? (Matthew 18:1).” Beneath their question lies a related question worth considering—What makes someone great in God’s Kingdom, and how can one become great? Greatness is a human desire.…
Grace to you! Oct. 1, the universal Church celebrates the memorial of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, a young woman whose life radiated passionate faith. In Nigeria, it is also a day the local church honors another excellent model of Christian faith: the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Queen of Nigeria.…
Today happens to be another one of my favorite Bible readings, in particular, one line. Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them? Jesus said No, do not do it. It was Jesus’ time to go to Jerusalem, and his expected path would take…
At an Episcopal Ordination at St Peter’s Basilica on September 29, 2007, Pope Benedict delivered a beautiful homily/catechesis on the three Archangels who are mentioned by name in Scripture: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. He said “that in the ancient Church—already in the Book of Revelation—Bishops were described as “angels” of…
In St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica, one of the objections he gives to the existence of God is the problem of evil. How could an all-loving God allow so much evil to exist? Why is there so much suffering in this world? This question is something that many people find…
With the coming of Jesus and through the work of the Apostles, the restoration plan of God has begun—a restoration that humanity ultimately longs for. Today’s Gospel tells us what we need to be part of it, since the laborers are few. Learning to See The first step is learning…
In this week’s Gospel reading, Jesus asks the disciples who people are saying He is, and then He asks them who they say that He is. Peter answers that He is the Christ of God. Curiously, Jesus then “rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.” One…