Sunday Readings for July 3, 2016 the 14th Sunday of the Year To some, being Italian-American means overindulging in pasta and joking about tough guys. But being Italian means being heir to a rich tradition stretching back before the Caesars….
Restore and Reactivate
Bearing Fruit
The New Testament is filled with references to bearing fruit. Scripture tells us that good trees bear good fruit and bad trees do not, and that branches that don’t bear fruit are pruned away. Remember what happened to the fig…
Overcoming Careless Words
Pope Francis has not minced words when it comes to the sin of gossip, speaking about its perils on multiple occasions: In one homily he likened the act of gossip to Judas’ betrayal of the Lord, saying that when we gossip about someone…
The “Good Life” and Pre-Evangelization (Part 1 of 2)
The desire to live better, to live more deeply. To live in a way that is satisfying beyond wealth or material goods. This is a longing that has always existed, yet in our current cultural setting, is being spoken aloud…
An Open Letter to Our Bishops
Now this I say, that no man may deceive you by loftiness of words. For though I be absent in body, yet in spirit I am with you; rejoicing, and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith which is…
Rest in God
“Make the people sit down,” Jesus told them. John 6: 10 The first thing Jesus did before miraculously feeding the five thousand was to have the people sit down. When we’re spiritually hungry, the first thing God probably needs us…
St. Francis of Assisi and Pope Francis
When Jorge Bergoglio was elected to the papacy, I wrote about his choice of name “Francis.” As a Jesuit I wondered if he meant Francis Xavier. But it turns out that he made took on the name in honor of…
The Messianic Secret
Readings for the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time Jesus asks a simple question. “Who do the crowds say that I am?” (Luke 9:18) All volunteer an answer, because describing other people’s opinions requires no personal commitment whatsoever. But then Jesus…
The Table
If you are a practicing Catholic you have most likely heard some form of this running joke: “That priest is talking too long, I need to get to the donuts.” Most every parish these days has a coffee hour where…
Catholics CAN learn from Scientific Faith
Last August (2015) an article was written in the Washington Post about the discovery of vessels which connect the brain to our immune system. I recently read about this discovery two months ago on one of my feeds and it…