On these Sundays of August, we are seeing Jesus display his divine power for our lasting good – not just for some material good, but above all to stir in us the gift and courage of faith by exposing us to the signs of his divinity. Last Sunday, he used...
It is said that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Certainly, earthly power can be the envy of the ambitious and the terror of the poor and humble. Power is so often associated with greed, violence and injustice. Few are those who wield political power solely to serve. It’s understandable why people...
The Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, was poured out upon all creation by Jesus in the act of his death, the supreme act of supreme love. In chapter 8 of his Letter to the Romans, we have been considering in recent weeks how St. Paul explains...
We have been reading or hearing from the beautiful chapter 8 of St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans during this month of July. In it, St. Paul teaches us about the spiritual life of the Christian who is living in the grace of God. But Paul makes it clear that...
The earth is the better part of 4.5 billion years older than humanity. It took just about that amount of time for her to get ready for us and to give birth to us. Since our bodies are made of various elements of the earth, no wonder we call...
These next four Sundays, we will hear from the very beautiful chapter 8 of St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans. Paul explains in the four excerpts we will hear four ways in which the Spirit of Jesus works in the world: first, in our bodies; second, in the “body” of...
Peter’s faith was not something he made up. It wasn’t from “flesh and blood”, either from himself or from any other human being. Instead, as Jesus tells him, it was a gift from the heavenly Father. And we can say more. The profession of faith in Jesus is not just...
Readings: Jeremiah 20:10-13; Psalm 68(69):8-10,14,17,33-35; Romans 5:12-15; Matthew 10:26-33 Jesus paints two very different pictures of God the Father in today’s Gospel, almost à la Jekyll and Hyde. First, he is the One we must fear because, unlike human beings, he can destroy both body and soul in hell. Then,...
Readings: Deuteronomy 8:2-3,14-16; Psalm 147:12-15,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; John 6:51-58 Self-isolation, social distancing, lockdown: these have become household terms since mid-March. We know what they mean. We understand they’re necessary. But the human cost of them is very real. We’re not made to relate to one another only in voice...
Readings: Exodus 34:4-6,8-9; Daniel 3:52-56; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; John 3:16-18 When you first meet someone, you don’t ask them to explain themselves! You ask their name. So, I think we get off on the wrong foot with the Blessed Trinity if the first thing we ask for an explanation. The...
