Readings: Ephesians 4:32-5:8; Luke 13:10-17 After this weekend’s latest violent tragedy in Pittsburgh, it’s appropriate that today’s gospel is set in a synagogue. Appropriate, as a reminder that Jesus was not a white man but a swarthy near-eastern Jew, that he didn’t worship in a Christian church but a synagogue; and that he was unarmed […]

Readings: Jeremiah 31:7-9; Hebrews 5:1-6; Mark 10:46-52 I would draw your attention to one detail in today’s Gospel: Bartimaeus throws off his cloak and runs to Jesus. A poor man’s cloak may be his only possession. If he has to pawn it, the Jewish pawn-broker had to return it to him at sundown, so he […]

Readings: Genesis 2:18-24; Hebrews 2:9-11; Mark 10:2-16 Today we begin Chapter Ten of Mark’s Gospel, when Jesus begins to travel to Jerusalem. For Mark, the holy city represents the unwillingness to believe Jesus; to the religious leaders of this city, Jesus is the hick from Galilee. Acknowledging the opposition, Jesus initiates an extensive teaching on […]

Not all those who have faith in some way have sufficient fervor and vigor in faith to be willing to relinquish everything. Many, indeed, are unwilling to renounce even the things that are unlawful! For this reason, it is not inappropriate to compare the Kingdom of heaven–that is, the Church–to a net. Once it has […]

Readings: Job 1:6-22; Luke 9:46-50 The doctrine of spiritual childhood is certainly fundamental to Therese’s thinking, though I wonder whether it suffers an imbalance because her memory was perpetuated by her older sisters who preceded her and outlived her in the same Carmel. In a sense, to them, so remained the “Baby.” Like myself, you […]

This is a great opportunity to make a retreat at Holy Cross Abbey while the mild temperatures prevail. We’ve suddenly had five cancellations this weekend from what would have been a full house. So five of you out there now have the possibility for a refreshing weekend retreat. Just call Carol Hensley at 540-955-4383 or […]

To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away. A superficial apprehension of this saying would seem to confirm the way of the world. Remember Raymond Egan and Gus Kahn’s 1920 song, Ain’t We Got Fun? One version of […]

Readings: 1 Corinthians 15:35-37, 42-49; Luke 8:6-15 Have you ever considered how immediate, how visceral the images of Jesus’ parables can be? Today’s familiar parable of the Sower casting the seed is literally earthy. And isn’t this a dynamic description of the Church as we experience it in our lives? Not the church as a […]