Feed them yourselves “Feed them yourselves” is what Jesus tells his disciples who are dealing with a hungered crowd that has been following them for days now (in the synoptic Gospels). “Feed them yourself” is what our Lord continues to tell each of us who vows to follow him. This July 28, 2023, marks 27  Read more …

One of the bigger issues that we have in churches today is the giving tithes and offerings. However if people really knew and could grasp the concept of how powerful giving tithes and offerings is, not only would everybody start giving, they would also do so with a heart of joy and thanksgiving. Today I  Read more …

Are You a Christian? Are you a Christian? I guess the majority, if not all, say yes. But what do you really mean when you call yourself Christian? Is your Christian identity a “status quo” (something acquired once for good)? Is it a “metanoia,” meaning something in perpetual progression? Where do you range your “Christianity”?  Read more …

Sometimes it does feel like God is far away. It feels like prayers are unheard and reading the Bible feels unfulfilling. But is God really far away? And if not, why do we all experience a feeling of distance sometimes? The answer to overcoming a perceived distance is to remember that it is based on  Read more …

GO OUT INTO THE DEEP In today’s liturgy, the Gospel according to Luke presents the story of the call of the first disciples, with an original version that differs from that of the other two Synoptic Gospels, Matthew and Mark (cf. Mt 4: 18-22; Mk 1:16-20). The call, in fact, was preceded by the teaching  Read more …

It’s normal to worry from time to time. Given life’s many unknowns and challenges, worry could be considered a natural response to many situations. But chronic and all-consuming worry can be troublesome and interfere with our ability to function freely and calmly in our daily lives. More importantly, problem worry can make faith in God  Read more …

A Blessed Nation Tuesday, July 4, we celebrate the birth of a novus ordo seclorum – a “new order of the ages,” the American Era. God has blessed our nation with resources, power, beauty and the rule of law. We have so much to be grateful for. But these are gifts. They can be misused. They  Read more …

Dealing with Loss This Sunday’s gospel is the “parable of the loss”; the lost sheep and the lost coin. In fact, this text is one of sorrow and misery, recounting for us the pitiful state of a man and a woman who, having lost what they once had, are looking … What happens when the  Read more …

Forgive and be merciful That may be your best gift on this Father’s Day weekend. Forgiveness is the only thing that is new. The world contains only one thing that is truly novel, forgiveness. Everything else is an old tape repeating itself endlessly over and over again. There is normally only one song that gets  Read more …

Our lives on earth are temporary. Where do we go after our earthly sojourn? Jesus answers: to Heaven or to Hell depending on how you lived. In this Sunday’s gospel, the story of Lazarus and the rich man, Jesus teaches us that Heaven and Hell are both real, literal places. Sadly, many Christians shy away  Read more …