We live in society that does not believe in God, or rather, a society that believes in several gods—the god of money, the god of pleasure, the god of fame, the god of popularity, and the god of power; this presents a great challenge to our faith.The Second Reading speaks to this challenge. In this…
I have always wondered what it must have been to have a conversation with Jesus, face to face; to sit down and talk to the most interesting person, the most full of life, truth and wisdom. What would we ask? What questions would we make? In today’s gospel we hear some questions that Apostles do…
Today we hear the story of two sisters, Martha and Mary, who invite Jesus into their home. One of these women is very active and busy serving Jesus, the other is captivated by his mere presence, and sits listening to his feet. Martha, the active, busy woman, is frustrated with all the work she has to…
There is a phrase that has been widely used to unite the people of The United States, especially during World War II; later that century it was adopted as the national motto. This phrase, which calls on the spirit of the founding fathers of this country, is familiar to us all: “In God we trust.”…
One week ago I had the blessing of traveling to Omaha to attend the priestly ordination of one of my seminary friends. The day after the ordination we went to the Zoo to see the aquarium. It was amazing to witness the bright and vivid colors of the fish, the textures of the corals, the…
Newscasts have learned to rely on a number of phrases to capture our attention. They start with “Don’t leave, when we come back, the danger of using too much salt in your food!” move on to “The frightening truth of sitting down for too long” or “What you may not know about the water you’re…
Throughout human history, the most common form of government has been monarchy. Monarchy offers several benefits: you can act quickly, and if you have a wise king, you can also act efficiently. Of course, the catch is that you have to have a wise king. If the king is selfish, or capricious, then you’re stuck…
In today’s Gospel we hear that Jesus is getting ready to leave… again. I can imagine the distraught faces of the Apostles, and their sinking sense of dejavu. They might have said, “But Jesus, you already left us when you died! Now, you’re leaving us again?” But this time is different; Jesus is leaving,…
It is amazing to see how much we can learn about human nature by observing our children. A year ago my sister gave birth to a baby girl. Something very interesting occurred one day when I was visiting. My Mom was holding my baby niece in her arms and they were embracing. One of my…
Whenever a tragedy occurs, be it nationally, locally, or personally, we find that we must go through a period of adaptation. Once the crisis has passed we must go back to our work, our daily routine, our daily lives. During this period we can experience a certain dryness in our lives. Life becomes insipid, as if…
