Jesus was born into our world - a world of brokenness. In today's gospel we see Joseph struggling with what to do about Mary's pregnancy. Mary, despite her powerful acceptance of God's wishes, might also have had misgivings. ...

The dishonest steward is someone determined to land on his feet. As Jesus tells the story, the steward was about to be fired for "squandering his property." His power and prestige, his important place in the household, ...

In today's gospel, Luke tells the story of the centurion whose slave is sick. The centurion was a Roman soldier would have represented to Jesus and other Jews, a government which cruelly suppressed the Jewish people and ...

I have been weeding a lot lately as the summer rains and sun have given life to everything in our garden - including weeds. There is one weed that always fascinates me. It's a tiny thing and I usually catch it when it's ...

When I was in grade school, I remember Ash Wednesday as a melancholy day. The nuns who taught us were unusually somber and whispery to us that day. It felt like Ash Wednesday, with its marked foreheads and meager meals, ...

"Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it."|In two paragraphs, today's Gospel gives us a summary of the life of following Jesus. It will not always be easy and it ...

What did those apostles eat for breakfast that morning? Was there some special food they ate that suddenly gave them such courage? In today's first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we see the same friends of Jesus ...

[622] Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab Psalm 45:10bc, 11, 12ab, 16|Mary looked over at John writing at his table and smiled. He had always looked so young and the years had not aged him very much. She could understand why ...

"If your brother should commit some wrong against you...."||"Mom! Do you know what Jack did to me?!" When my kids were younger they knew exactly what to do when a wrong had been committed against them. There is something ...

Remember, you are dust, and to dust you will return.|Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel.|When I was in grade school, I remember Ash Wednesday as a melancholy day. The nuns who taught us were unusually somber ...