Monthly Archives: May 2020

The Way, The Truth, The Life

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Sometimes, another just says it succinctly and to the point. Bishop Robert Barron does that so well commenting on this morning’s readings. In John 14 as the Apostles continue to struggle with Jesus’ words preparing them for life after the Crucifixion and Resurrection, they want to know where Jesus is going, the way to follow, the truth of the meaning of all that is unfolding, and what will life be without Jesus to lead them. Jesus’ reply is elegant. 2,000 years later those same words are just as pointed and poignant. Continue reading →

Walking Grace

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Take a moment and look back over the last 10 weekdays (or so) and consider the first reading for daily Mass. (If you look at today’s readings, you can use the calendar feature to quickly located the previous readings of the day). The readings are from the Acts of the Apostles. The readings tells the story of the early Christian Church growing out from the fear behind the doors of the Upper Room moving out to the world with a divine mission.  The salvation promised to Israel in the Old Testament and accomplished by Jesus is now under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and is extending to include the Gentiles. And it is motley cast of characters that are being send, divinely chosen representatives: “witnesses chosen by God in advance” (Acts 10:41). Continue reading →

Vaccines, Antibodies, and Love

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At the beginning of this time of pandemic, it was interesting to read stories of people on an extended wilderness sojourn as they returned to their normal life. In the several weeks away, they discovered there was nothing normal about the world they had left. They returned to find covid-19, masks, social distancing, sheltering at home, and a world reporting and tracking pandemic. Continue reading →

Where I am

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Next Sunday is the 5th Easter of Sunday. You can read a complete commentary on the Gospel here.

1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. 2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. 4 Where (I) am going you know the way.” Continue reading →

Who could possibly love us?

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I suspect that most of us here share a fundamental experience with sheep. First we confuse lambs and sheep. Most of us think about lambs who seem wonderfully cute, are gentle of spirit, and how can you not love them? I mean, really. And our experience is mostly limited to the petting zoo/farm context. I suspect that as children we turned to our moms and said: “Mom can we have one? I promise to feed him and take care of him….. please…!!” Continue reading →

Change upon change upon change

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This weekend I was in the back of the church and saw that the Lenten Giving Tree was still up, with unclaimed tags dangling on the barren branches. Apparently, it has been weeks since I have been in the back of the church. My world has gotten so much smaller. I wondered what else was back there as a reminder of a time before pandemic. There were copies of the bulletin for the Fourth Sunday of Lent. And here we are now at the Fourth Sunday of Easter. Things change. It is inevitable. It is the way of things. Continue reading →

What we hear

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The daily Mass gospels for this week (April 27-May 2) have covered John 6:22-69, known as “Bread of Life Discourse.” This same gospel discourse is covered during the middle of “Ordinary Time” in Year B of the liturgical cycle of readings. The discourse includes the highly Christological statement: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst” (John 6:35) Continue reading →