What an abundance of rich sources for reflection in today's two readings!  Paul warns us of the danger of being idolatrous.  There are so many real and potential idols in our world today.  We just finished the Olympics, ...

Our first reading describes a people whose patience has been "worn out" from their journey.  We have all experienced times when our patience wears thin.  Sometimes we snap at those we love, saying things we wish we hadn't. ...

When I teach Zoology, I ask my students to know names of the various animal taxa. Most find the task of memorizing long and complicated names such as Echinodermata, Platyhelminthes and Nematomorpha daunting. But I explain ...

My prayer with today's readings took me to two places; the importance of the resurrection and the importance of women in Jesus' ministry.  Not so much their presence, but that we – future Christians - know of both of ...

Dear Mary, Full of Grace and Blessed among women and men,|You are the Mother of my Lord and God. You gave birth to our Salvation. When we contemplate the mystery of your motherhood, we delight in thinking of Jesus' having ...

Mission with a Passion|We have become quite familiar with "mission statements" which are produced by institutions, both secular and religious. These statements proclaim the purpose of the institution, what they are about, ...

Today's Gospel is one of my favorites. Jesus and the disciples, followed by a large crowd of "fans" of Jesus, are walking to a city called Nain. As they approach the city gate, they encounter a funeral procession. A young ...

I believe anyone who engages in honest self-examination who reads today's Gospel must feel at least a twinge of regret for actions taken in one's own life. In my case, it's more than a twinge — it's veritably a knife to ...

Faith. I think we test our faith everyday. We find it hard to have the faith of the centurion in today's gospel, whose faith is so strong that he is willing to turn everything over to God. The words echo the words we say ...

Tug-of War contests were a delightful part of our Irish-relative picnics in my youth. A thick rope was held tightly by two teams of eight or nine pullers. All had been properly reinforced with muscle-enhancing food and ...