Second Sunday of Advent, Year C, 8 December, 2024: Baruch 5:1-9; Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11; Luke 1:1-6 Every Second Sunday of Advent we recall John the Baptist—and isn’t that appropriate? During Advent don’t we look forward to the Second Coming of the Lord as we look back to his First Coming? Being in neither one nor […]

24 November, 2024, Christ the King: Daniel 7:13-14; Revelation 1:5-8; John 18:33b-37 What do we mean when we call Christ a King? In a nation born of revolt against a parliamentary monarchy, and with a representative democracy shaped by majority vote, how do we understand kingship? What can it possibly mean to us? Standing before […]

17 November, 2024, 33rd Sunday, YR B: Daniel 12:1-3; Hebrews 10:11-14, 18; Mark 13: 24-42 Sometimes people ask me whether I think these are the end times. I usually refer them to the Gospel verse we just heard: But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, […]

All Saints, 1 November, 2024: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12a In listening to the Gospel it can be as important to note what is not said, as what is said. Jesus does not say, “Blessed are they who sing on pitch”; nor does he say, “Blessed are they who never arrive late […]

26th SUN, YR B: Numbers 11:25-29; James 5:1-6; Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 Hasn’t our social media allowed us to organize ourselves into like-minded tribes, affirming our comfort zone and excluding those who disagree with us? Are we that insecure in our beliefs and prejudices that we cannot tolerate differing opinions? John in today’s Gospel didn’t […]

14 September: The Exaltation of the Holy Cross: Numbers 21:4b-9; Philippians 2:6-11; John 3:13-17 The Son of Man is first mentioned in the Book of Daniel as a heavenly figure riding on the clouds to ascend further to the very throne of God. And Jesus explains himself to Nicodemus as the Son of Man. But […]

Once of the occupational hazards of being monks who gather seven times a day in this chapel to worship and pray, is that our hearts and minds can sometimes (or even frequently) be beset by such a barrage of distractions that seem to qualify us for Jesus’ rebuke to the Pharisees, namely, that we honor […]

21st SUN, YR B: Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b; Ephesians 5:2a, 25-32; John 6: 60-69 Isn’t it interesting that unlike so many church-sponsored programs, or social media “influencers,” Jesus is not concerned about numbers? He does not attempt to prevent disciples—disciples, not just curious people—from leaving him. He does not bully or bribe people to support […]

Fame, popularity, and the esteem of the crowd can be the acknowledged or unrecognized desire of most of us in our struggle towards self-acceptance and becoming who we truly are—and not who the crowds (or others) say we are. But as long as we crave the esteem and approval of others, so much of what […]

16th Sunday, YR B, 21 July, 2024: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Ephesians 2:13-28; Mark 6: 30-34 The apostles return to Jesus excited by their accomplishments, surprised by what they could do. Can you remember the rush of your first adult success that turned out better than you had hoped? The exhilaration of discovering your capabilities? Despite the […]