Reflections

There is a story of a farmer who lost his watch in his barn. As it had sentimental value, he searched high-and-low among the bales of hay. Eventually, however, he gave up and decided to enlist the help of a group of children playing outside the barn. He promised them that the one who found it would be rewarded. Upon hearing this, the children hurried inside the barn, went through-and-around the stacks of hay but still could not find the…

Are these orders from Jesus (Luke 6: 27-37) a string of exaggerations designed to shock us? NO! We all know very well that Jesus means every single one of these statements, shocking and nearly impossible to implement as they truly are. We know him well enough to realize that these teachings are so “Christ-like,” so incredibly different from conventional wisdom, so radical that they must be divine; they must be filled with Life and designed to fill us with Life…

In 1996, the American singer & songwriter, Sheryl Crow, wrote and performed a song that made its way to the Billboard Top Ten and earned her a Grammy. Entitled If It Makes You Happy, the lyrics go like this… If it makes you happyIt can’t be that badIf it makes you happyThen why the hell are you so sad? Decades later, I surmise that her song (and question) continues to resonate because, despite our success in amassing greater wealth and “things”…

We are swamped with words. Some poisonous like gossip; some devastating like slander; others unsettling like rumors and criticism. Most of them, though, are empty and meaningless, hot air—precisely. How many millions of words have invaded our being this past week? Printed words, broadcast words, casual words from friends and passerby—words, words, and more words. Almost screaming, we take refuge in our churches and say: “No more words…we need facts!” There we get more words. But we do not mind…

But who will endure the day of his coming? For he is like the refiner’s fire, or like the fuller’s lye. …He will sit refining and purifying silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi… (from the first reading, Malachi 3:1-4) Isn’t it overkill, a pure exaggeration? We are talking about a 40-day-old baby, so cute, so charming. The 2nd reading (Hebrews 2:14-18) sheds light on this obvious discrepancy. It speaks of Jesus’ entire life as spent in obedience to…

The readings for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time are about freedom.  From the first reading (Neh 8:2-4, 5-6, 8-10) we gather that, after returning from exile, for the first time, in a highly charged atmosphere of deep emotions, the Jews were free to celebrate God’s gift of the Torah (the Law). In the second reading (1 Cor 12:12-30), St. Paul tells us how Jesus freed us from sin through his blood on the cross, and how he has poured his Holy…

In an 1894 letter to her newlywed cousin, St. Therese of Lisieux wrote: “I am asking our Lord to be as generous to you as He was to the bridal pair at Cana. May He invariably change the water into wine! I mean, may He prolong His gift of happiness, and as far as possible sweeten the bitter trials you will meet on your way. Trials! Fancy introducing that word into my letter—how could I?—at a moment when I realize that life for…

Have you ever been given a gift and not opened it? Or, have you ever been given a gift and partially opened it? Years ago, I remember watching the movie, Agnes of God, in which a prosecuting attorney (and lapsed Catholic) was interviewing the mother superior of a convent regarding a potential crime she believed had been committed there. As their relationship deepened, the two found themselves beneath a gazebo on the convent grounds. On a cold, crisp Canadian morning, weather…

The importance of the Solemnity of the Epiphany is all in the contemplation of the mystery, hidden for millennia from past generations, and revealed in the fulness of time in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God in human flesh. It is the desire of God the Father to save every one of his children and, at the end, to welcome all of them into his heavenly home, to share in his endless joy. The fulfillment of this grandiose…

The intensity of the Christmas’ solemnity should not dwarf the significance of the Feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth. And the reason is not an exaggeration but a simple reality check: our future as a Church and as a Nation hangs in the balance. The number of religious institutions that cling to this somber realization is dwindling. It consists of conservative Christian groups and the Catholic Church. That’s about it! For decades, we realized that there were covert efforts…

Very many years ago, when the world was oh so new; God created, in his image, people like me and you. He created a world for man that was perfect in every way. A place that gave man all he needs. A place where man could stay. This world was perfect as could be. Free of trouble and strife. A place where man could live happy and free, for his entire life. God asked only one thing in return. He made it simple you see. He said…

This time of year there are many special television programs, movies, and stories about Christmas—and particularly, about how some obstacle had to be overcome or some change of heart effected so that Christmas might truly be understood and celebrated. We have the song about Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, who makes it possible for Santa Claus to leave the North Pole in spite of terrible weather. Dr. Seuss’ story on “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” describes how a villain became the…