Twenty-Eighth Sunday, Year A, 15 October, 2023: Isaiah 25:6-10a; Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20; Matthew 22:1-14 Matthew’s version of this parable probably elaborates Jesus’ original teaching, more accurately reported in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 14:16-24). Matthew has added the details of the king, the king’s son, the abuse of the king’s messengers and the king’s vengeance, as well […]

It is still rather common to hear people (even unbelievers) speak of having an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. In invoking this image people are usually describing a situation of inner conflict in which two contrary options are vying for our attention and choice. Saint Paul spoke, instead, of that […]

Twenty-Fifth Sunday, YR A, 24 September, 2023: Isaiah 55:6-9; Philippians 1:20-24, 27a; Matthew 20:1-16 Today’s Gospel could address our culture afflicted with entitlement. Or should I suggest that the laborers hired at the beginning of the day might rejoice in the good fortune of those hired in the late afternoon? Well, I believe that’s easier […]

As Christians we have become so accustomed to seeing the crucifix in our churches and homes that we can perhaps forget the horrific suffering it represents. When we do reflect on that suffering, the Exaltation of the Cross—that cruel instrument of torture and execution—can seem scandalously insensitive to what Christ underwent for our salvation. Indeed, […]

Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, 10 September, 2023: Ezekiel 33:7-9; Romans 13:8-10; Matthew 18:15-20      If I’m looking for a calculus to cut off someone, I won’t find it in today’s Gospel. Jesus’ instruction makes every effort to ensure respect for the person who sins against me. And his final point is very challenging in […]

Lifeguards attempting to rescue a drowning person are sometimes hindered in their attempts by the panicking of the one they are rescuing. This usually results in their wildly thrashing around in the water and being unable to stop trying to save themselves and allow the lifeguard to do his/her work. This is somewhat analogous to […]

Nineteenth Sunday, Year A, 13 August, 2023: 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew14:22-33 It’s too easy for a preacher to present Simon Peter as an impulsive, unthinking negative example for Christian disciples to avoid. Granted, none of the twelve Apostles garner high marks in comprehension during Jesus’ lifetime, but to reduce them to bad […]

Saint Paul’s insistence that all things work for good for those who love God, might perhaps be thought of as his expression of a similar conviction captured in that pious aphorism: God writes straight on crooked lines. As comforting as these words can be to the suffering and perplexed Christian, it is important that they […]

Sixteenth Sunday, Year A, 23 July, 2025: Wisdom: 13:16-19; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 13:24-43       Listening to these parables, I’d say that Jesus could never work for a political campaign or an advertising agency. Either of those occupations stress the positive advantages of the platforms they promote; Jesus’ description of the kingdom of heaven undercuts privilege, […]

Fourteenth Sunday, Year A, 9 July, 2023: Zechariah 9:9-10; Romans 8:9, 11-13; Matthew 11:25-30       In a culture that valued scholars who studied God’s word, Jesus teaches a subversive opinion: Although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to little ones.       That’s not to say that […]