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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The great sage Jesus ben Sirach advises us today regarding the common trap of anger. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, he writes: “Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight,” and later, “If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins?” (Sir 27:30; 28:5). We have all given in to the temptation to […]
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In this Gospel Jesus begins with an instruction on how to deal with a “brother who sins against you,” and ends with a lesson on the Lord’s presence about prayer; “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” It’s interesting to note that in Judaism […]
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This summer has been marked by a great deal of suffering on the part of many people. Well over 100,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the United States alone, with hundreds of thousands more around the world. In addition, we are still living under a degree of restriction regarding our freedom to move about and engage in life and […]
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Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans is one that is filled with rich teachings and images as is the portion we hear today. While describing the great love of God in sending his Son to save both Jew and Gentile he breaks into a prayer about the greatness of God. In Paul’s letters it is […]
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Today’s scripture readings present a united theme across the board: the good news that God’s salvation is available to all who put faith in him, regardless of race, gender, background, or social status. Isaiah launches this movement by speaking the word of the Lord and proclaiming, “The foreigners who join themselves to the Lord…and hold to my covenant, them I will bring […]
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The Solemnity of the Assumption is a celebration in which we profess that Mary was assumed body and soul to heaven. This was a belief going back to the early church but was not declared an infallible doctrine until 1950 by Pope Pius XII. The key sentence from the decree is, “The Immaculate Mother of […]
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Where do we expect to experience the presence of God? That is the question that comes from reading the passage from the First Book of Kings. God raises up Elijah as a prophet during a very difficult time in Israeli history. After the death of Solomon Israel became a divided kingdom into two kingdoms and […]
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As a new student monk residing at Sant’ Anselmo, the Benedictine motherhouse in Rome, one of the first small tasks I had to master was to memorize the Latin version of one of the traditional monastic forms for grace before meals. The opening of this prayer was an adaptation of the Psalm we sing together […]
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