Scripture: Colossians 1:24-2:3Luke 6:6-11 Reflection: For many today, keeping the Sabbath seems like a quaint Jewish tradition. But for Jesus’ contemporaries, and even today, the Sabbath has been a powerful symbol of identity in an often hostile world. The Sabbath…
Scripture: Ezekiel 33:7-9Romans 13:8-10Matthew 18:15-20 Reflection: Repeatedly, Jesus emphasizes love as the basic necessity of discipleship. All else – every commandment, every activity, every community action – flows from love. Simple, right? Oh, how I wish it were! Love that…
Scripture: Colossians 1:21-23Luke 6:1-5 Reflection: Come Queen Sabbath, Come Lord Jesus When the mistress of the house sees three stars together in the sky, the sign that the Sabbath is over, she recites the ’t’chinoh’, a meditative prayer to our…
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Scripture: Micah 5:1-4a or Romans 8:28-30Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23 Reflection: In Saint Matthew’s gospel, the story of Jesus’ birth is told mostly through the eyes of Joseph. He is the one to whom the Lord…
Scripture: Colossians 1:9-14Luke 5:1-11 Reflection: Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,but at your command I will lower the nets.”When they had done this, they caught a great number of fishand their nets were tearing. -Luke…
Scripture: Colossians 1:1-8Luke 4: 38-44 Reflection: As a psychotherapist for decades, I never cease being stunned by the power of listening. The intentional act of focusing on every word that comes from the mouth of someone sitting across from me…
Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, 9-11Luke 4:31-37 Reflection: Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, as indeed you do. -1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 They were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this about his Word?” -Luke 4:36…
Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18Luke 4:16-30 Reflection: Spreading the Good News Today’s Gospel selection recounts Jesus’ early ministry on a sabbath in his hometown synagogue. He proclaimed a familiar reading from Isaiah, and then said “…today this Scripture passage is fulfilled…
Scripture: Jeremiah 20:7-9Romans 12:1-2Matthew 16:21-27 Reflection: In the midst of the Shoah’ (the holocaust) many Jewish people lost faith in God. They had experiences so much suffering and evil that they had given up trying to answer the question ‘why…
Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:9-11Matthew 25:14-30 Reflection: In our day-to-day lives, we hear the word “love” mentioned when someone gets engaged to be married, or when a baby is born. We also hear the word a lot at funerals, as we…