Imagine a garden, teeming with diverse plants, each unique and beautiful in its own way. Some plants bloom quickly, while others take time to mature. The health of the garden depends on the quality of the soil and the care it receives. In a similar way, our lives as Christians…
The Passage: “Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours, do not demand it back.” Lk 6:29. A literalist reader of this passage would say: “That is what the Bible says, so that is what it means.” Yet, we recognize that interpretation…
The evangelist Luke revisits the beautiful passage of the Beatitudes found in Matthew (5:2-12), simplifying it and adding four “woes” to the four blessings. Luke contrasts two lifestyles, turning our perspectives upside down. According to worldly logic, those who lead a comfortable life are considered blessed and fortunate, while Luke…
What does it mean to be chosen, rather than to choose? The remarkable thing about the Christian life is that our faith begins not with our own yes to Christ, but His invitation to us. He takes the initiative, summoning us each to the life of faith and the work…
Matthew 5:48 says, “Be perfect, just as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” For most of my life, I have had a very distorted view of this injunction to perfection. Sure, in a vague, amorphous sense, I understand the need to strive for these ideals. But therein lies the rub. How…
Often, the question of the rule of law and the rule of love seem to clash or contradict one another. In 2015, many parts of the world, especially Europe, experienced an influx of migrants due to the conflict in Syria. Europe was challenged between self-protection, the rule of love, and…
In today’s Gospel, Jesus refers to Himself as the “Lord of the Sabbath” and uses this authority to rebuke the Pharisees for their misplaced zeal in the observance of the Jewish Sabbath. Yet, His dominion over the Sabbath should also call us to reflect on our observance of the Sabbath…
The first statement of St. Paul in today’s first reading reminds me immediately of the autobiography of Blessed Fulton Sheen, Treasure in Clay. This wonderful book and many other books of his, especially, The Priest Is Not His Own, helped immensely to deepen my insight into the Catholic priesthood. St.…
I do not know about you, but growing up I thought that I knew better than anybody. When I had to do something, I worked out a plan or I decided a course of action, and I was convinced that they were the absolute best. Indeed, it was always hard…
As humans, we love to categorize – both others and ourselves – into specific groups, whether it be our political affiliations, our sports team loyalties, our personality types, and even our worship preferences. Somehow, by defining these aspects of ourselves, we think we can communicate our identity more effectively. Yet,…