Weekly Reflections (Page 2)

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…

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him; and I will raise him on the last day. (John 6:44) Concerning salvation, we must never forget God’s absolute sovereignty. It is complete and foolish arrogance to attempt to circumvent it or to alter it. Our God is in heaven; whatever God wills is done. (Psalm 115:3) Clearly then, the first danger that we who are chosen must avoid is the presumption of trying to limit God’s…

On this 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, the lesson that Jesus wishes to teach us is a life lesson, in the sense that it forces us to see where, instinctively, we place ourselves in the context of our relationship with God and our interaction with people. Assuming that our relationship with God is correct, at least as far as it appears to us before a deeper, more direct reflection, it is already embarrassing and humbling to have come up with the…

If we reflect on the gospel passage (Mark 8:27-35) for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time without a clear concept of discipleship, we would be shocked and bewildered. Simon Peter is extolled for the tremendous insight from above about the very nature of Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man and then, is chastised and reprimanded with blistering directness by Jesus. “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” While still in shock, we…

“Ephphatha, be opened.” Today, Jesus orders us to be opened to the Father’s plan and to adopt a sincere concern for all his children across the globe, across the millennia. We are to do so in virtue of our Baptism. The rite of Baptism includes the gestures performed by Jesus and the word “ephphatha” “be opened” that he uttered when he cured the deaf person with a speech impediment. This complete openness is required of us for two reasons.  From the…

I don’t know about you, but whenever I walk into a room with a mirror these days, my first inclination is to reach for the dimmer switch—and dial it lower. Privately, I tell myself, “less light will be better for your eyes” and proceed to mimic that “clap on, clap off” commercial. For bright lights and mirrors reveal way too much: wrinkles, imperfections, and what’s left of my hair that grows grayer by the day. Quickly, however, the Spirit leads…

The gospel passage for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time forces us to come to grips with a somber, sad reality: some of Jesus’ disciples, in any epoch, become selective and refuse to abide by those words of life with which they disagree. It is a repeat of what we see described here as the first case of “cafeteria or smorgasbord Catholics.” Then many of his disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” (John 6:60) … As a result…

In the first chapter of Lumen Gentium, the fathers of the Second Vatican Council noted that “To carry out the will of the Father, Christ inaugurated the Kingdom of heaven on earth and revealed to us the mystery of that kingdom. The Church, or, in other words, the kingdom of Christ now present in mystery, grows visibly through the power of God in the world. This inauguration and this growth are both symbolized by the blood and water which flowed from the…

Just recently, a friend indirectly reminded me of my short-lived experience in the St. Louis theatre scene. Moved by my daughter’s success in this genre, I was inspired to try my pen at it. At that time, I had thought the word was spelled playwrite. To my surprise, my first three efforts found their way to full production and the stage. My three subjects were dementia, abortion and suicide. Of the three, my third remains my favorite. While there have been…