25 March, Solemnity of the Annunciation: Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10; Hebrews 10: 4-10; Luke 1:26-38     I can easily believe that by human reason or observation of the world around us, any of us could arrive at a concept of God. I’m not so convinced that I can conceive a vibrant relationship with the living God […]

Our struggle to understand the relation between the divine and human natures of Christ and how these interact can sometimes create problematic solutions to perplexing questions. Thus, for example, we have the notion (held by some) that the infant Jesus only pretended to be helpless and unable to speak, whereas, because of his divine nature, […]

Saint Joseph, 19 March, 2021: 2 Sam 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16; Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22; Matt 1:16, 18-21, 24a      According to the Gospels, Saint Joseph is descended from a fallen royal house, replaced by a monarchy that is only nominally Jewish, struggling to flex its muscle within the Roman Empire.      Although aware of his […]

Fourth Sunday of Lent, YR B, 14 March, 2021: 2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23; Ephesians 2:4-10; John 3:14-21     Nicodemus has a literalistic, almost materialistic worldview while straining for something more, something better. Jesus can see this, as well as the great potential in this man, and is respectful, challenging and patient in their discussion, both […]

In our monastic tradition, one of the marks of perfected love is to love all people equally. Thus, Saint Benedict warns the abbot against any form of favoritism—at least that based on more superficial and worldly criteria. God too, is sometimes described as not showing partiality, with Deuteronomy declaring that the Lord of lords, the […]

First Sunday of Lent, Year B: Genesis 9:8-15; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:12-15     At the Jordan Jesus divested himself of everything to enter the river. He assumed a kinship with sinful humanity but rose from the waters to God’s voice calling him his beloved Son, in whom he is well pleased.      That is […]

24 January, 2021: Third Sunday, Year B: Jonah 3:1-5, 10; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20     After John had been arrested, Mark tells us, then Jesus began to call his disciples. We’re only in the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel and already, Jesus, who was baptized by John, is on shaky ground. He doesn’t conceal […]

Epiphany of the Lord, 3 January, 2021: Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3a; Matthew 2:1-12      Isn’t it logical that the Magi begin their search for a newborn King of the Jews in the palace of Herod? But these men are not diplomats or politicians; in English we often refer to them as the Wise Men. They […]

Holy Family, 27 December, 2020: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14; Colossians 3:12-17; Luke 2:22-40          The English painter, John Everett Millais exhibited a painting entitled Christ in the House of His Parents in 1850, the heyday of romanticism and the family ideal. The costumes and setting suggest an exotic location and a past time, but the figures […]