Ez 18: 25-28; Ps 25; Phil 2: 1-11.; Matt 21: 28-32 St. Paul, in this classic letter to the Philippians, says: “Do nothing out of selfishness…; rather, humbly regard others …, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others. Have in you the same attitude that is also in […]
Is 55: 6-9; Phil 1: 20-24, 27; Matt 20: 1-16 All parables reveal something about the nature of God. This one reveals that “The Lord’s ways are not our ways, nor are his thoughts our thoughts.” In this parable, the vineyard owner is God. Those who come to work early in the morning are the […]
Ez 33: 7-9; Rom 13:8-10; Matt 18:15-20 Loving is “the fulfillment of the law,” Paul says in Romans today. In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus is forming his disciples for leading his church. He is forming us too. To Love — as best we can: in this particular situation, or that particular issue, on a given particular […]
I Kings 19:9a, 11-13a; Rom 9: 1-5; Matt 14: 22-33 “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over the waters” (Gen 1:1-2). We all recognize this as the opening of the Bible, the first lines […]
Pioneer Days, Fort Harrod, Harrodsburg, KY Sunday, August 20, 2017, 10:00 AM Under the Osage Tree Text: Matthew 15:21-28 The Canaanite woman comes as a beggar. Notice she has no name. When I was a professor of drama at Berea College, I used to tell students that when a character has no name in a […]
Kings 3:5,7-12. Romans 8: 28-30. Matt 13: 44-46 The treasure in the field. Today’s social media show us what the world views as a treasure. Instead of ‘the pearl of great price,’ we hear terms like ‘The jewel in his crown,’ ‘the prize he long sought.’ Using the standards of the world, we can easily […]
Wis. 12:13,16-19; Rom. 8:26-27; Matt. 13:24-43 Pay attention to mustard seed incidents. Notice them and cultivate them carefully. The readings speak of patience and a trust in God’s power to bring about growth in us. It is God’s power of which we stand in awe. Growth and transformation is the secret of the Christian life. […]
Is 55:10-11; Rom 8:18-23; Matt 13:1-23 In the Gospel today we see that God is a prodigal sower; he scatters seed widely, hoping for a fruitful result. The question for us is: do we cooperate with God’s wide and abundant sowing? You and I want to be good soil. We don’t want to be rocky […]
Zech 9:9-10; Rom 8:9, 11-13; Matt 11:25-30 “Come to me” – you burdened. Who doesn’t feel burdened from time to time? Listen to this description of life and see if it applies to you: “unremitting toil and effort…subject to constant interruptions, unexpected demands… beset with disappointments and usually misunderstood; yet peace all the same, undeviating, […]
Yesterday was the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. The Church Christianized the summer solstice as it did the winter solstice. Six months from today is Christmas. The feast of John the Baptist is the forerunner of that of Christ’s birth. John was the great light who now begins to diminish as […]