Get behind me: In this weekend’s Gospel on the 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Jesus tells Peter to “get behind me Satan.” That’s quite a slap in the face. In fact, Jesus told that to Satan himself during the temptation in the desert. Last weekend we heard how Peter got the answer right, that Jesus […]
“Who do you say that I am?:” That important question, the most important question of our life, is Jesus asking each of us, “Who do you say that I am?” Surely, we can answer that question with our minds—Jesus is God, but Pope Francis reminds us that we can really answer that question by traveling […]
Great is your faith: This weekend in our Gospel we hear of the astounding faith of a non-believing woman. She is in desperate need—her daughter is sick, possessed by a demon. Pope Francis states that, in turning to Jesus, the woman is “brave,” like any “desperate mother” who would do anything “for the health of […]
Do not be Afraid: This weekend’s Gospel is one of my favorites. Jesus “made” the disciples get into a boat to precede him to the other side. During their journey, a violent storm appears and their boat was being tossed about by the waves. What a scary sight! But Jesus appears to calm the storm. […]
A glimpse: This weekend we celebrate the Transfiguration of our Lord, a feast of the Church celebrated on August 6. This is one of my favorite feast days. In the Gospels, Jesus mentions his future death to his disciples. Their reaction is what ours is like. Oh no! But then a week after stating this […]
Eleven high school aged youth were accompanied by 3 adult chaperones on a mission of service to the area in and around Cincinnati, Ohio. The group traveled in two vans, leaving Sunday, July 16 and returning Saturday, July 22. The worksites were coordinated by the Franciscans for the Poor and the group was housed in […]
Treasure: This weekend Jesus continues to tell us of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is like “a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” It is also like “a merchant searching for fine pearls. When […]
Sixty-five Middle and High School students participated in our 6th annual week of service. Students started their day at 8 a.m. and ended at 8 p.m. During this time they departed for various worksites at 9 a.m. and returned by 3:30 p.m. We worked at Catholic Charities, North End Soup Kitchen, Community Closet, American House, […]
Time for the Harvest: The harvest of the wheat is currently taking place amongst farmers. In today’s Gospel, Jesus discusses the fact that some weeds (tares) grow up with the wheat. Pope Francis reflected on this parable: “The teaching of the parable is twofold. First of all, Jesus says that the evil in the world […]
The Sower and the Seed: This Sunday, the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear of the well-known Gospel of the sower who casts seed onto different parts of the earth—some along the path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns, and finally, some on rich soil. Jesus states that the seed sown on rich […]