The disaffection of many Americans with the Catholic Church includes many of its own members whose faith in the church seems to be repeatedly assailed by scandals and the less than noble behavior on the part of some of its leaders. Despite the corrective emphases of the Second Vatican council with concepts like the church […]
Reflection on the Mass Readings of Monday of the Thirteenth Week
Readings: Amos 2:6-10, 13-16; Matthew 8:18-22 I find in interesting that I’ve never heard an American fundamentalist quote todays Gospel: that the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head. It’s as inconvenient to a suburban Christian life-style as what Jesus says about divorce. I could say much the same about Amos’ condemnation of […]
A Word from the Cistercian Fathers for July
I come to your feet, most loving Father; behold my sins have made a separation between you and me. Ah! Have mercy on me according to the multitude of your mercy! Break the wall of my old way of life which keeps me from you; and drag me to you so vehemently that I may, […]
Fr. James’ Homily for the Thirteenth Sunday, Year B
Readings: Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24; 2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15; Mark 5:21-43 Little Lamb, arise. This is what Jesus’ words, the Aramaic, Talitha koum, literally mean–a beautiful, gentle expression. Another beautiful quote, much less obvious, is Jesus question, Who has touched my clothes? How is that beautiful? It is addressed to a woman whose malady, the […]
Thursday of the 12th Week of the Year (Saint Irenaeus)
The fall of Jerusalem and exile into Babylon of all but the poor and seemingly useless is not unlike what happens within our own spiritual lives. We too have to be freed from all arrogance, pride, and self-sufficiency and left poor, spiritually destitute, and needy. In this humbled state, all that we might have prided […]
Reflection for the Gospel of Wednesday of the Twelfth Week, Year Two
Readings: 2 Kings 22:8-13, 23:3-5; Matthew 7:15-20 By their fruits you will know them. We continue to hear Jesus’ teaching from the Sermon on the Mount and today’s warning about false prophets adds a nuance to the warning from a couple of days ago about our judging. That was not an invitation to passivity or […]
Monday of the Twelfth Week, Year Two
Readings: 2 Kings 17:5-8,13-15a, 18; Matthew 7:1-5 Jesus said to his disciples, “Stop judging so you will not be judged.” This is the teaching of Jesus that we all wrestle with, that none of us can master. I often celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation in any given week and whether it’s penitents coming to me, […]
Saturday of the 11th Week of the Year
Christ’s admonition that we not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will take care of itself seems, perhaps, a little irresponsible if not impossible to carry out. However, I believe that Jesus is impressing upon us the fact that anxiety about tomorrow and the days thereafter can obscure God’s presence and grace given in the present […]
Wednesday of the 11th Week of the Year
Treading that fine line between a false humility that hides God’s gifts and boastfully parading one’s good works before others is something that Elijah seems to have been able to do. Seemingly aware of his imminent ascent into the heavens and humbly not wanting Elisha to witness this amazing spectacle he requests that Elisha remain […]
Abbot Joseph’s Homily for the 11th Sunday of the Year
In the world of cartoons things like vacuum cleaners are credited with a life of their own and endowed with the ability to choose their actions. Now apart from the fact that vacuum cleaners don’t have brains—even though some may be programmable—they are totally dependent on being connected to an electrical outlet capable of delivering […]