Scripture: Isaiah 56:1, 6-7Romans 11:13-15, 29-32Matthew 15:21-28 Reflection: All three readings in today’s Liturgy challenge us to open our minds and move beyond the limits most of us live within…whatever they are! The presenting issue is “Who does God love?”…
Scripture: Joshua 24:14-29Matthew 19:13-15 Reflection Imagine yourself smack in the middle of today’s first reading. Joshua has “gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem,” and you are right there with them. The purpose of the assembly is for…
Scripture: Joshua 24:1-13Matthew 19:3-12 Reflection: A Living Commitment to Companionship “Love consists of a commitment which limits one’s freedom – it is a giving of the self, and to give oneself means just that: to limit one’s freedom on behalf…
Scripture: Joshua 3:7-10a, 11, 13-17Matthew 18:21-19:1 Reflection: To be a Christian is to live a forgiven and forgiving life. It is to extend to others the liberating mercy that God always extends to us. That’s the message of today’s gospel,…
Scripture: Deuteronomy 34:1-12Matthew 18:15-20 Reflection: One of the reasons I enjoy breaking open the Word of God with my lay brothers and sisters is because I view religious life, the life of a Passionist religious, as a companion with the…
Feast of Maximillian Kolbe Scripture: Deuteronomy 10:12-22Matthew 17:22-27 Reflection: Today we celebrate the feast of someone who should be unforgettable, St. Maximillian Kolbe. Why? Because what he did was unforgettable. No, there were no headlines in any newspaper – far…
Scripture: 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13aRomans 9:1-5Matthew 14:22-33 Reflection: The readings for today focus on three distinct characters in our Biblical traditions. Elijah, the Old Testament prophet; Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles; and Peter, the one Jesus chose to lead…
Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:4-13Matthew 17:14-20 Reflection: Saints inspire us for what they do with what they are provided by God. At 29, Jane Francis Fremiot was widowed with 6 children. She experienced an initial depression (!), then through the spiritual direction…
Scripture: Deuteronomy 4:32-40Matthew 16:24-28 Reflection: What does Jesus mean when he says to his disciples – including us – “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me”? Does it mean that we…
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:6-10John 12:24-26 Reflection: Jesus taught that those who love their lives will lose them. This doesn’t exclusively refer to the moment when we breathe our last. All through the years, life is not static. Over and over…