Memorial of Saint Irenaeus Scripture: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18Matthew 7:15-20 Reflection: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves.” Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr, whose feast we celebrate today was no stranger to…
Scripture: Genesis 13:2, 5-18Matthew 7:6, 12-14 Reflection: It took me some time to understand what it meant to throw your pearls before swine… truly, why would anyone even consider doing such a silly thing? Then there was that great cartoon…
Scripture: Genesis 12:1-9Matthew 7:1-5 Reflection: A few years ago, when a good friend called, I was not surprised at the news she shared. She told me that she and her husband were separating. I had sensed that this might happen…
Nativity of St. John the Baptist Scripture: Isaiah 49:1-6Acts 13:22-26Luke 1:57-66 Reflection: John the Baptist “John had proclaimed before His coming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.” ACT 13:24 John the Baptist preached a message of…
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 11:18, 21-30Matthew 6:19-23 Reflection: I am writing this reflection a day after Juneteenth, and that leads me to reflect on the second half of our Gospel reading in a particular way. Jesus says: “The lamp of the…
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 11:1-11Matthew 6:7-15 Reflection: In today’s gospel, Jesus offers a class on prayer. In this passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches his disciples, the crowd that assembled that day, and now us what has aptly…
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:6-11Matthew 6: 1-6,16-18 Reflection: In the late-40s A. D. a famine spread across Judea and Christians in Jerusalem were in dire need. The leaders of the Jerusalem Church, James, Cephas, and John asked Paul to assist the…
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:1-9Matthew 5:43-48 Reflection: “…I say to you…Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father…” These past few weeks we have been reading the famous Sermon on…
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:1-10Matthew 5:38-42 Reflection: “As your fellow workers, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.For he says: In an acceptable time, I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped…
Scripture: Exodus 19:2-6aRomans 5:6-11Matthew 9:36-10:8 Reflection: Today’s Gospel gifts us three short vignettes as we see Jesus seeing and responding to a human need. First Jesus has pity on the crowds of people coming to him. Matthew’s descriptive image, as…