First Sunday of Advent “Yet, O Lord, you are our father; we are the clay and you the potter: we are all the work of your hands.” – Isaiah 64:7 Imagine a clay sculpture that strikingly bears a resemblance to the person it was sculpted after. Now imagine that the sculpture is damaged in an earthquake. It toppled and fell onto the floor. It isn’t entirely broken, for it still bears resemblance to the model.…
“I myself will look after and tend my sheep. As a shepherd tends his flock…” -Ezekiel 34:11 This Sunday, we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. King of the Universe! This brings up images of the grandest splendor: fine garments, a glorious throne, a magnificent array of pomp and circumstance. But listen closely to the scripture readings for this feast today. They’re focused on Christ the Good Shepherd. Shepherds…
For all of you are children of the light and children of the day. – 1 Thessalonians 5:5 In our second reading this Sunday, St. Paul tells us that we who follow Christ are the “children of the light” (1 Thessalonians 5:5). What does it look like for us to live as children of the light? Children are made in the image and likeness of their parents. They often look like their parents, bearing their…
At midnight, there was a cry, “Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!” Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” But the wise ones replied, “No, for there may not be enough for us and you.” – Matthew 25: 6-9 The wise virgins in his Sunday’s Gospel reading were prepared with oil…
…they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb – Revelation 7:14 The Solemnity of All Saints, 2020 Lord, this robe of mine is dirty, torn, and worn thin. The hem has been drug through the dust of this life. The bottom has become tattered and grey. Lord, I have fallen down in this robe so many times. I have tripped and stumbled into the dirt. I have torn…
The whole of the Christian life can be summed up in these four words: love God, love others. Our Gospel reading for this Sunday holds a beautiful gem. Jesus tells us that the greatest commandment is this: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor…
The Pharisees are at it again in this week’s Gospel reading. This time, they asked Jesus if it was against God’s law to pay the census tax to Caesar. Once again, they tried to trick Jesus into betraying Himself. But Jesus always sees the truth. He is the truth (John 14:6). Jesus asked them to show Him the coin to pay the tax and asked, “Whose image is this and whose inscription?” (Matthew 22: 20).…
What in the world caused some of those who were invited to the king’s banquet to mistreat and even kill the servants extending the king’s invitation? I’ve heard of shooting the messenger for delivering bad news, but this is way out of hand and completely incongruous. The servants were inviting them to a royal party with a sumptuous banquet. I’m sure there was even an open bar! 😅 So why did they behave this way?…
Have you ever seen a watchtower? You could imagine a tall tower in a castle where knights keep watch for dangers. Take special note of the watchtower in the parable of the vineyard in this Sunday’s Gospel reading (Matthew 21: 33-43). The watchtower is a place of safety, a place to keep a lookout for things that might damage the vineyard, like thieves and enemies. But pay close attention, because the tenants in this reading…
Metanoia is a Greek word that means to change completely, to convert from one way of life to another. It implies repenting of old ways and embracing a new, more holy, way of life. The chief priests and the elders in this Sunday’s Gospel reading were stuck in old ways of thinking. They were not open to hearing or acting upon the Good News that St. John the Baptist and Jesus proclaimed. Jesus reprimanded them…