Posts from October 2024

In Matthew’s Gospel (7:7-8), Jesus reminds: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Years ago, when my wife was expecting our fourth child, she and I were active in our local crisis pregnancy center. The largest fundraiser conducted by the clinic was a…

This gospel passage (Mark 10:46-52) is the setting in which the promise made by God through the prophet Jeremiah (31:7-9) unfolds. Jericho is an oasis with an abundance of vegetation and water. In it, life goes on easy, without major challenges. However, Jesus is leaving Jericho with his disciples because his destination is Jerusalem. The way to Jerusalem is all uphill and steep and grueling. Furthermore, humanly speaking, Jesus’ decision makes no sense at all. It makes no sense also to…

This Sunday, we are asked to place in the special pink envelope the amount of dollars that our heart inspires us to donate to the work of the foreign missions. However, having said that, I feel compelled to talk to you about the more serious and more demanding contributions that all Catholics ought to give, around the clock, 24/7 to fulfill their missionary obligations. Whenever one in our family is seriously ill, or we find ourselves in a bind, financially,…

Our first reaction must be: “I do not want my face to fall like the face of the rich, young man. I do not want to walk away from Jesus. I do not want to be sad (cf. Mark 10:21-22). Now, to say the same thing in a positive form we would say: “I want to enter the Kingdom of God.” Jesus again said to them in reply, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is…

Today we have a chance to reflect on the main reason why the Catholic Church feels so strongly about Christian marriage. The reason is that married Christian couples are called to be a most eloquent and visible reminder we have of the unfailing love of God for his people. The total, free, faithful and fruitful love of husband and wife is the sign picked by God himself in the Old Testament to show to the chosen people of Israel how…