Reflections (Page 11)

One day a man stopped by an apartment building to visit a long-time friend of his, an older woman named Mabel who was a music teacher. He greeted her by saying, “Hey, Mabel, what’s the good news today?” Mabel stood up, silently walked across the room, picked up a small hammer, and struck a tuning fork, causing a note to ring out through the apartment. Then she said, “That note is an A. It is an A today, it was an A five thousand…

By Professor Donald R. Byrne While I was a student at Holy Redeemer High School in Southwest Detroit, conducted by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary from Monroe Michigan, I became familiar with the march of the French in the expulsion of the Acadians (1755-1763) from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island as well a portion of Maine, in the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem, Evangeline, A Tale of Acadia.  The British, having conquered the French in North America, wanted to…

And Jesus replied, “Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.” (Matthew 13:52) This is an obscure yet intriguing sentence with which Jesus concludes his teachings about the Kingdom of Heaven by means of parables during the last several Sundays. It reveals a most reassuring fact about this Kingdom applicable to each one of us: from the beginning of…

One modern scripture scholar notes that “parables are figures of comparison that use stories to teach a truth or answer a question.” Two-thousand years later, as we read and listen to the parables of Jesus found in the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), all of this seems clear.  However, as the disciples walked with Jesus, this was not the case.  In the Gospel of Matthew (13:10), they asked Jesus: “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He responded…

On the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we find out from Jesus that, as Sower, the Father is one of the worst farmers around. His wasteful clumsiness is due to his infinite love for all his children; he scatters his seed even in the most improbable, unsuited spots such as on a busy trail, rocky ground, and thorn bushes. Nobody can ever accuse God of being less than insanely generous in his sowing! Since Jesus has the same heart of the Father…

I would like to thank you for providing me a few moments to honor this newest Eagle Scout from our parish. It is a privilege to be in the midst of so many who serve their communities in such special ways. This afternoon, as we count the ways in which Evan has earned this distinct honor, I hope to focus my remarks on the future. But prior to moving forward, it should be noted that every future has a past. For Evan, his past has been…

A Notre Dame professor (The Hidden Things, OSV, July 9-15, 2023, pp. 15) has wonderfully noted that the instruction of Jesus for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time comes to us after three key things have occurred: REPENTANCE. In Mt 3:1-3, John the Baptist’s holy voice is heard—crying out in the wilderness! A PRAYER WHERE WE ASK TO BE FORGIVEN. In Mt 6:9-15, Jesus has taught us to pray the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father).  THE DISCIPLES HAVE BEEN CALLED. By…

“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones.” (Matthew 11:25) Every time I hear these poignant words from the Gospel of Matthew, I think of the Saint who lived them out so egregiously: St. Therese of Lisieux “the Little Flower.” Undoubtedly inspired by the Holy Spirit, St. Therese realized that the secret to be showered with divine blessings and…

During this Independence week, I have a confession to make. Several summers ago, I found myself standing on a bridge in Concord, Massachusetts. And without knowing that I shouldn’t pick the flowers— I did! After apologizing to the park ranger for my failure to read the “Don’t Pick the Flowers” sign, he smiled and allowed me to take the flower. At the time, it was a prized possession. Now, however, it is temporarily lost in my office. But that’s another…

On this 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, our Gospel passage and second reading have a few powerful sentences with which we are familiar, yet they might have lost their edge precisely because we heard them so many times before. Hence, by now, they might be unable to penetrate the thick layer of spiritual insensitivity that, perhaps, we have built up around our minds and hearts. Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. (Matthew…

In the Gospel of Matthew (10: 26-33), Jesus talks about the right kind of fear we should have as we live out and preach his Gospel mainly with our lives. It can be understood better if taken together with what is written in the preceding verses (Matthew 10: 16-23).  In them, Jesus conveys the idea of the explosive energy of the Gospel. For Jesus, the Good News packs such power that we should live it out and preach it without reliance on…

At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36) It should be reassuring to us to know that Jesus is fully aware of all the things and the situations that trouble us, cause us much concern and even sleepless nights.We should never forget that Jesus is moved with pity at the sight of the divisiveness in which our country finds itself and all…