2015

With so many candidates running for the presidency, some whom few of us never heard of a year ago, I could picture anyone of them asking one of us, “Do you know who I am?” Of course, politicians want to be recognized.  When George Bush was president, he visited a nursing home once. He came upon a wizened old man hobbling down the hallway. Taking the man by the hand, President Bush asked, “Sir, do you know who I am?” The man replied, “No, but if you ask one of the nurses, she can tell you.”

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24th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

After five weeks of reflecting on the sixth chapter of John’s gospel and the theme of Jesus as the Bread of Life, we return this weekend to continue our readings from Mark’s gospel. The theme of today’s readings is the nature of true religion and how we live our faith.

As we hear in the first reading, the Law of Moses was very important for the people of Israel– a legal system they had developed in their desire to be God’s people.  Through the Law they were to lead lives which were different, better than their pagan neighbors. There was a great emphasis on the observance of the Law as a sign of commitment and obedience to God.  By the time of Jesus, however, the Law had become so hopelessly complicated that only experts could interpret its application to the many practical problems which would arise in daily life.

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22nd Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

The theme through these readings prompts the question of staying or leaving. Joshua knew what he was committed to. He also knew that many who had followed him in the desert for 40 years to reach the Promised Land were now attracted to the many gods of their neighbors. “If it does not please you to serve the Lord, decide today whom you will serve. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” They replied, “We will also serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

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21st Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

While on retreat years ago some priests and I saw the movie, Babette’s Feast, based on a short story by a Danish author, Karen Blixen. Driven from her home by bloody uprisings in Paris, Babette Hersant comes to a remote fishing village along Denmark’s northern coast. For 14 years she works as a maid and cook without complaint for two pious Lutheran sisters, who lived strict lives of prayer, good works, and asceticism. The sisters and the members of their village church have an austere view of God’s creation: they believe that we should “cleanse our tongues of all taste and purify them of all delight, preserving them for the higher things of praise and thanksgiving.”

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20th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

In 1885, Vincent Van Gogh visited a museum in Amsterdam in order to see Rembrandt’s famous painting, “The Jewish Bride.” Having seen it he said, “I would give 10 years of my life if I could sit before this picture for a fortnight, (14 Days), with nothing but a crust of bread for food. My first hunger is not for food, though I have fasted ever so long. The desire for painting is so much stronger that when I receive some money, I start at once hunting for models until all the money is gone.”

It is not only the body that needs its hunger fed. The heart and the soul need to be fed also. The bread of material things can never satisfy the heart of a human being. You see, we have many hungers.

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18th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »