July 9, 2023

Jesus continually surprised people with unexpected wisdom from unexpected sources. We still must be open to new knowledge coming to us from places we don’t expect. 

July 16, 2023

Jesus taught in parables, often from the natural world. Our sacraments use things that come to us from the natural realm, too. All can lead us to imagine God’s reign among us.

July 23, 2023

It can be easy to focus on what’s wrong in life and in the world. Some time spent focused on grace and goodness can lead us to a brighter day.

July 30, 2023

Our covenant of love with God is our security and strength. May it also be the song that fills our hearts and lives each day.

August 6, 2023

We hear God’s affirming voice from heaven as Jesus is gloriously transfigured. Our own words and voices have the power to transform —for good or ill — those around us.

August 13, 2023

We ask God to give us our daily bread, but prayer is another kind of nourishment also necessary for our spiritual life.

August 20, 2023

When we open our hearts to let in the reconciling power of God, we can discover how petty and useless many of our squabbles can be.

August 27, 2023

We live in a world filled with locks and keys, with all kinds of devices meant to keep others out. Prayer is a key we are given to open up our lives to God and others.

September 3, 2023

Though we’d prefer an always-easy life, life isn’t that way. A deepened relationship with God is the ultimate place to turn.

September 10, 2023

When there is discord in any relationship or group, it is difficult and necessary — because it is difficult to recall that we must still treat everyone respectfully, as an image of a loving God.

September 17, 2023

We think of extending forgiveness as an act of giving a gift to another person. But we also receive a gift when we forgive others.

September 24, 2023

Sometimes God seems to act unfairly, but it is really God’s generous justice in action. Perhaps having a bit more of God’s generous nature would help us to all be more just.

October 1, 2023

One of the hardest things to do is admit we’ve been wrong. But when we do, we often open up our lives to much affirmation.

October 8, 2023

There are two possible outlooks on most things in life: gratitude or entitlement. Viewing life gratefully helps us to live thankful lives, and avoid greed or jealousy.

October 15, 2023

Banquets or feasts are often used in scripture to tell us something about God’s reign in our midst. Called to an abundant feast, we are likewise called to be signs of that feast, and live by sharing abundantly. 

October 22, 2023

Sometimes those who challenge Jesus begin the conversation with false praise. Now, as then, Jesus doesn’t fall for insincere flattery.

October 29, 2023

Love God. Love your neighbor. There are, essentially, two commandments, but even this short and simple list can sometimes be difficult to live out daily.

November 5, 2023

“Practice what you preach.” Though this saying has been around for a long time, we still have trouble doing it.

November 12, 2023

Everyone in this Gospel reading fell asleep. The real difference is that one group — though asleep — was prepared and ready to go whenever it was time.

November 19, 2023

Everyone has been given some gift or gifts by God. What differentiates us is the degree to which we use those gifts so they flourish and become of even greater use to those around us.

November 26, 2023

The Glory of Jesus our King isn’t something we merely sit back and admire. It envelops us, and its majesty transforms us until we become Christ-like through its presence and power. 

December 3, 2023

The call to be watchful and alert is a call to readiness, not to let our spirits get sluggish and slip off into a state of un-consciousness. But it is hard at times to stay up, to keep watch. Is Jesus being unreasonable here?

December 10, 2023

John the Baptist is surely among scripture’s most challenging prophetic figures. To this day he points us to Christ and away from the world’s distractions.

December 17, 2023

As we prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas, and anticipate his return in glory — no matter what our life situation — we are called upon to be prayerful people of joy!

December 24/25, 2023

Though David wanted to build a dwelling place for God to dwell in, God promised David something greater: a “house” that would last forever. In Christ, we find that promise fulfilled.

December 31, 2023

God doesn’t promise a life that is always easy, or never knows sadness or trials. What God does promise us in Christ is someone to share it all — the difficulties and the joys—no matter what.

January 7, 2024

Whether it was Isaiah’s listeners wondering where God’s light was, or the Magi following a star to an unexpected place, or us trying to broaden our understanding of God’s mysteries, we know that God illumines the way.

January 14, 2024

We are anointed with holy oil both at our Baptism and Confirmation. This makes us “anointed ones” for God. But the sheen of that oil disappears soon. What must remain is our living witness.

January 21, 2024

Sometimes God calls us out of the patterns of our day-to-day existence to take on something new. Though we hesitate— we are content with life as it is — the call to turn our lives anew is not to be resisted.

January 28, 2024

In both testaments of the Bible, there are struggles to understand how Divine Authority comes into the world. If we remain connected to the mission and message of Jesus, we have the authority to live as a disciple.

February 4, 2024

The trials of Job led him to an even deeper insight into the ways and the wisdom of God. When life presents us with difficulties, we also can step back in faith, and search more deeply into God’s will.

February 11, 2024

The Church — the Body of Christ — is like other bodies. We are often in need of healing and wholeness. This calls us to be humble enough to acknowledge our own needs, and to be Christ’s healing touch for others.

February 18, 2024

The theme of safe passage through destructive waters to a place of life and hope pervades our understanding of this baptismal season of Lent.

February 25, 2023

After Jesus’ trials in the desert, we hear of his Transfiguration. It was doing the Father’s will That he desired, not status, wealth or power.

March 3, 2024

Modern life offers us many things to be “zealous” about—things to commit our lives, energies, and resources to. But Jesus shows us there is only one thing that should inspire our zeal: God’s will.

March 10, 2024

The entire encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus takes place at night, yet Jesus is able to reveal light, and bring Nicodemus to the light.

March 17, 2024

As we stand at the threshold of Holy Week, which begins in two weeks, we hear once again that life will have times of trial, but in Christ we are assured that the trial is not our final future.

March 24, 2024

When our lives imitate the pattern of Christ’s life — when we offer ourselves in humility, and in sacrifice for the sake of others — we are truly proclaiming that Christ is Lord!

March 31, 2024

According to scripture, nobody witnessed the actual Resurrection event; it was the testimony of witnesses that spread its news. Next Sunday, there will be witnesses so that others can “see” the Resurrection.

April 7, 2024

In the early days after the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to his followers, extending them the blessing of peace. In John’s Gospel, he gives another gift after the Resurrection: the Holy Spirit.

April 14, 2024

The disciples’ response in the familiar Emmaus story should be our own, especially when we celebrate the Eucharist — to have our minds open to God’s word, to have our hears on fire for Christ.

April 21, 2024

If it seems nonsensical to say that an actual shepherd would die for the flock, that’s because it is — unless the shepherd is the very love of God for us, our shepherd Jesus Christ.

April 28, 2024

For followers of Christ, to “remain” does not mean merely staying in place, but keeping an active, living, and close connection with him at all times.

May 5, 2024

As the community of Jesus’ first followers grew, They grew in their understanding of God’s boundless love, and how boundless is the call to live in that love.

May 12, 2024

Extraordinary events were clear, if at first unexpected, ways that God’s reign came to the world. We can bring God’s presence in daily living, so God’s reign still comes in unexpected ways.

May 19, 2024

The Holy Spirit, the “actor” who drives the “acts” of the apostles, urged them, and always urges us, outward, bringing the Good News to new places.

May 26, 2024

The three persons of the Holy Trinity form a community among themselves. From their community, we receive loving inspiration for our own community.

June 2, 2024

The Blood of Christ is the source of the new and eternal covenant — a covenant sealed by Christ’s blood mingling with our own.

June 9, 2024

Our great strength as Christians comes from oneness in Christ: We form one Body. When evil successfully divides us, it also weakens us.

June 16, 2024

We can cooperate and advance the coming of the reign of God on earth, but we can never bring it about on our own. It will happen only through God’s grace and will.

June 23, 2024

As Zechariah’s neighbors used signs to communicate with him, we often communicate our faith to others most effectively by the sign of our daily lives.

June 30, 2024

We believe in a God who, in Jesus, took on our human flesh. Jesus of Nazareth literally touched people to heal them. Through us, members of his Body, he still can.

July 7, 2024

Sometimes we think that there is a select group of people — to which we could not possible belong — who are the “holy ones.” If we really live in Christ, this could not be less true.

July 14, 2024

The evangelists tell us that Jesus is moved to the depths of his being for others.

July 21, 2024

The evangelists tell us that Jesus is moved to the depths of his being for others.

July 28, 2024

Jesus could have fed the multitude in any number of ways, making food appear out of thin air. But he worked a miracle with what is already a miracle: God’s Creation.

August 4, 2024

Receiving the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist is meant to renew us and energize us to become that Body and Blood for the life of the world.

August 11, 2024

Plenty of things in our daily living clouds our vision. By allowing Christ to heal your vision, we are able to see and love again as the Father sees us and loves us.

August 18, 2024

The actions of eating and drinking at the Eucharist are the same as we use daily. But the Eucharist calls us to a deeper, more engaged eating and drinking.

August 24, 2024

Our world, like the world of scriptural times, is filled with many categories or even pigeonholes we try to use to keep others away. But to live as Christ means to serve others — ALL OTHERS.

September 1, 2024  

The Church has always experienced a tension between faith and actions. Rather than viewing these in tension, however, we truly follow Christ when they are united.

September 8, 2024

Divine healing in the scriptures never exists for its own sake, but as an impetus to proclaim God’s glory. When we experience healing, our lives must be opened to be faithful witnesses.

September 15, 2024

Suffering of various parts is an integral part of being human. Jesus knew this, for he shared Fully in human suffering. But he shows us that our ultimate hope is in the restorative healing power of God.

September 22, 2024

Try as we might to live good and righteous lives, we sometimes lose focus through jealousy or envy of others. Better to stay focused on how we can serve others.

September 29, 2024

Our lives can get crammed so full—with busyness, possessions, material concerns — that there is little room or time left for God. Some housecleaning may be in order to free up some space for the Divine.

October 6, 2024

The will of God is shown to us in many ways. Our sincere desire to seek God’s will and discern its guidance for our lives is the starting point of discipleship.

October 13, 2024

To observe the mere basics of our faith, to do the bare minimum, is a kind of indifference to God’s presence in our lives. Our quest must be God’s — to live and love more extravagantly, more fully.

October 20, 2024

A good portion of discipleship is balancing the place of servanthood, and leadership in our lives. In some way, each of us is called to do both in our life of faith. 

October 27, 2024

From Hebrew slaves freed from Egypt to faithful people calling out to Jesus for healing, we encounter many stories of persistent faith. Let’s make that our story too.

November 3, 2024

We only need to love God in two ways—but in most broad and deep ways! We must love God completely, and love our neighbor as we love our very selves.

November 10, 2024

Two widows figure prominently in these readings. The first offers her last bit of sustenance to a foreigner, a stranger; the second offers an enormous portion of her small worldly wealth to God.

November 17, 2024

In a way, it would be simpler to live out the rest of our lives if we knew precisely when all would come to an end. Jesus calls us to something more difficult: living that way even though we don’t know.

November 24, 2024

We live in a shifting time, when people are replacing what is true with what they believe is true. In Christ, we know what a true king is, though it may not match up with what others believe a king to be.

December 1, 2024

Though the followers of Jesus were told at his ascension not to stare uselessly up at the sky, faithful disciples will keep focused—with their hearts—on the power of heaven for guidance and comfort.

December 8, 2024

In Baptism we were named for Christ. This means that every day we are called upon to look around us for the presence of Christ in the world, and to live so that others see Christ present to us.

December 22/25, 2024

“Let ev’ry heart prepare him room.” This is a message not only in these final days before Christmas, but for every day.

December 29, 2024

We think of church, or perhaps religious education classes, or a parish school as the places we learn about faith. But none of these is more central to learning to live our faith than the household and family.

January 5, 2025

We are tempted to think of Epiphany as a single day for celebrating the arrival of the Magi. Yet, every day, in our own lives, we are offered the opportunity to behold and reveal the God-appearing that is Epiphany.

January 12, 2025

The baptismal garment is an outward symbol of the brightness and glory of Christ, in which we are wrapped—even swaddled—on our baptismal day and every day of discipleship.

January 19, 2025

It is tempting to think that knowing and naming the gifts God has given us shows a lack of humility. In truth, doing so actually helps focus on how we might be most effective at sharing the Good News of Jesus! 

January 26, 2025

Those who don’t look like us, or think or talk like us — or agree with us — how difficult it is to see all people as God’s children, all of us loved by God.

February 2, 2025

We sometimes think that holiness is for other people, and it’s likely that we all know people who we’d consider holier than ourselves. Our life of faith tells us otherwise, and must lead us to holiness.

February 9, 2025

There may be no task more difficult than seeing ourselves for who we truly are, and striving to see ourselves as God sees us. God, who made us, continues to look upon us as good.

February 16, 2025

Jesus knows how tenuous life can be, especially when we put all our trust in the things of this life. Those things don’t last. God does.

February 23, 2025

The expectations and commandments of Jesus—especially to love one’s enemies—made people suspicious about him, and his early followers as well. Following Jesus, we should not be surprised if others think we also might be a bit unbalanced!

March 2, 2025

Though we may think that actions speak louder than words, we still express that truth by using words. Our words can be potent, for good or evil, to promote the gospel message, or impede it.

March 9, 2025

How much we want all of life to be easy and pain free! Yet our experience of life teaches otherwise, and our faith shows us how the pain of the past can lead us to hopeful futures.

March 16, 2025

Clouds are frequently present in the Scripture. A pillar of cloud led the Israelites through the desert, and the Abba of Jesus speaks from a cloud. When our lives seem cloudy, we can trust in God’s guidance.

March 23, 2025

The most common substance on earth - water - is also the most precious. It is no wonder that the stories of our salvation feature it so frequently. 

March 30, 2025

As our Lenten journey progresses, we strive to improve the manner in which we “see” with our hearts, hoping that, in the light of Christ, we can truly come to see the world as God does

April 6, 2025

In the Gospel scene of forgiveness, Jesus shows us that God will not be held captive by the past, but rather turns us, in hope, toward the future.

April 13, 2025

When Jesus—who was both truly human and truly divine—was humbly sacrificed on the cross for us, it was the ultimate act of reconciliation. As his disciples, we give of ourselves as people of reconciliation.

April 20, 2025

Just as the Easter season celebrates Christ is arisen, our own lives must be celebrations in which the life of Christ arises from our daily living. 

April 27, 2025

In addition to the glory and splendor of the Risen Christ, this joyful season can also grant us the blessing of peace. “Peace be with you” is a common greeting of the Risen Christ.

May 4, 2025

The Gospels recount a number of times that Jesus came to the table and ate with others. Following his resurrection, eating with his friends was a way for him to show them that it was still and truly him.

May 11, 2025

We can often recognize those closest to us—even without seeing them—just by hearing them speak.

May 18, 2025

Though the Resurrection moved Jesus to a place beyond his mortal body, we still believe that God took on our flesh in him. He continues to be enfleshed through our own lives.

May 25, 2025

As Jesus readied his friends for his departure at the Ascension, he consoled them with the promise of the Holy Spirit, sent as an Advocate, or helper, as they continue his mission.

June 1, 2025

Christian life will have its times of reverence and awe, times when we look to the heavens in silence. But we are also called upon to break the stillness of those moments to go forth with the Good News.