Zephaniah 2:3,3:12-13; I Corinthians 1:26-31;  Matthew 5:1-12 Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount is often referred to as the beatitudes.  A beatitude was a literary form used by many ancient cultures to try and explain how to live in a world in which good and bad behavior, is rewarded or punished.  This was a...
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Isaiah 49:3,5-6; I Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34 In a letter to his nephew, Michelangelo wrote about his great achievements as a sculptor, painter and poet.  The great Renaissance artist said, “Many believe – and I believe – I have been designated by God for this work.  In spite of my old age, I do...
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2 Kings 5:14-17; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Luke 17:11-19 Leprosy is an extremely painful and highly communicable disease.  The sores and open wounds of this illness can grow to the extreme that the one infected could even lose fingers and toes.  In addition to the physical pain is the emotional pain of loneliness that one...
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Isaiah 66:10-14; Galatians 6:14-18; Luke 10:1-12,17-20 For many years I traveled to the Canadian Rockies of Western Alberta, Canada.  Unlike the disciples in today’s gospel I did not travel so lightly.  I brought with me my camping gear, a tent, sleeping bag, food, clothing, maps, prayer books, and my copy of the Woodall’s Camping...
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Jeremiah 1:4-5,17-19;  I Corinthians 12:31-13:13;  Luke 4:21-30 “A woman named Nora had worked for many years in a large downtown business office.  No one had ever managed to get close enough to her to know her very well.  Nora had a way of quickly turning off anyone who tried to befriend her.  She was...
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What is theology and who are called to be theologians? Today we celebrate the feast of Christ the King, the last Sunday in ordinary time, and the end of this liturgical year. Next Sunday begins a new liturgical year with the First Sunday of Advent. Many themes surface during these Sundays, but the end...
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When the world will end is a question which has eluded the Christian community since the time of Christ.  Even though the gospel is very clear in stating that no one knows the time or the hour, many people still are preoccupied or at least curious as to when this will happen.  The end...
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17th Sunday in Ordinary Time There is a certain fast-food company that sells hamburgers. In their advertising, they claim that their product has the ability to satisfy our cravings. In fact, several television ads depict their hamburger calling people up on the phone, ostensibly getting them to stop whatever it is they are doing...
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If we truly choose to live the faith passed down to us by the apostles and their successors, then we too can expect rejection. This was the case in the early church. Those first Christians were baptized into the church and out of their culture. For them, baptism was both a...
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