As we celebrate the feast of Christ the King it is interesting to note that the scriptures express the nature of his Kingship in terms that borrow as much from the pastoral language of the Good Shepherd as from the expected regal imagery of royal courts. We indeed hear that the Lord will be seated […]
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Growing up before the age of mobile phones meant that whenever a relative from out of town was coming to visit us, we knew the day and some general time, but not the exact time. No cell phone call to inform us that they will be there in an hour. Instead, we kept watch and […]
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As we draw to the conclusion of the Church year the scriptures turn to the theme of the end of time and the events that will accompany it. This gives us a great opportunity to review what Catholics believe regarding the final events of history—which differs from what many other Christians hold about them. Saint […]
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All Saints Day is an annual Solemnity on which we pause to recognize, honor and venerate the Saints. Throughout the Church Year we celebrate specific days for saints. Men and women were widely recognized for their heroic virtue and fidelity to God’s grace, and their causes went through the process of canonization, and they are […]
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The Old Testament reading at this Sunday’s mass is drawn from a long passage of the Book of Exodus which recounts the giving of the Mosaic law at Mount Sinai. At first the words of Exodus are reassuring, reminding us that God is a faithful protector of the innocent and the vulnerable: “You shall not molest or oppress an alien…You shall […]
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Whenever this Gospel passage come up with the well-known saying of Jesus; “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” I think of Thomas Jefferson’s view of “separation of church and state” which led to the Supreme Court ruling that stated; “The First Amendment has erected a wall between […]
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The Lord’s providence for his holy people is again the theme of this Sunday’s scripture readings, with a focus on the Kingdom of Heaven being the surpassing realization of the prophetic anticipations of the Old Testament. The first such prophecy of God’s gracious kindness to his people comes from Isaiah, arguably the greatest of the biblical prophets and the one from whom we hear most […]
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Respect Life Sunday? The image that runs through the First Reading and the Gospel is that of a Vineyard and the importance of bearing fruit. In Isaiah it is in a portion of the Book that the New American Bible calls; “The Book of Judgment, Indictment of Israel and Union.” This section contains a series […]
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I have no children and so it is hard for me to grasp the full force of today’s parable of the two sons. This is not to say that the point escapes me, it is simply that unless one hears this parable with the experience of a parent something of its power remains abstract. Before […]
Continue ReadingIt seems that whenever this Gospel is discussed the question of fairness becomes the focal point. Was it fair that those who worked the shortest period where paid a full day’s wage, the same as those who worked all day? In our day this is a case that would probably go to the Labor Relations […]
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