Proverbs 14: 29 says, “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but one who has a hasty temper exalts folly.” Anger has destroyed many. In today’s first reading, taken from 1 Samuel, we see the start to the end of King Saul’s destruction. Saul would be a perfect candidate…
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The pharisees waiting in the synagogue were the same men who had lingered at the edge of the field. I do not know why they had waited as we came through the field on that Sabbath day but I do know that one man was delighted to call out the…
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Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us take encouragement from today’s First Reading, both for ourselves and those to whom we minister. The prophet and priest Samuel was a holy man, yet, the Lord told him he concluded too much from Eliab’s “outward appearance” in thinking he was God’s choice…
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The Alleluia verse before today’s Gospel reads thus: The word of God is living and effective, able to discern the thoughts and reflections of the heart. Why do we do the things we do? It’s good to pause and re-examine our motivations. Saul’s rejection and the question of fasting are…
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I should preface this with this: exercise is extremely important to me, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The other day, I found myself pulled in several different directions. My husband looked at me and said, “Go out for a walk/run. You will feel better after that and a shower.” So,…
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We often see reports of heroism in the news and elsewhere: individuals risking their safety, well-being, or future to help others. While countless acts of heroism occur daily, only the most extraordinary—those that shock and generate headlines—are typically reported. Consider a pilot safely landing a plane with engine failure to…
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“If you will, you can make me clean” (Mk 1:40). In the leper’s prayer in today’s Gospel, there is everything: his faith, his fragility, his surrender. He asks for no explanations, demands no guarantees, and he does not express any sense of entitlement. He only trusts. Jesus looks at him,…
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In today’s readings, we are invited into two sacred moments of calling—one in the quiet of the night and the other in the busyness of human suffering. Young Samuel hears his name spoken in the dark. Three times, he runs to Eli, thinking the voice belongs to his teacher. Only…
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Dear Friends in Christ, today’s first reading speaks of barrenness, a reality many couples still face today. When I began reading and meditating on it, my mind turned to God’s first command to humanity, often referred to as the “Creation Mandate”: “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth…” (Cfr Genesis…
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