In today’s Gospel, we see the list of the twelve apostles. Among those are our Saints for today, Saint Simon the Zealot, and Saint Jude. They are listed together because we believe they were both martyred together in Persia, somewhere near modern-day Iran. Saint Paul tells usContinue Reading
By now many of us has heard the inspirational story of eggs, potatoes, and coffee beans. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this story allow me to summarize it for you. An egg, a potato, and some coffee beans are all put into some boiling water. When theContinue Reading
Deacon Bill said the other day, something that is very important about our faith. He said that our faith is personal, but it’s not private. It’s critical to understand that when we begin to look at what Paul says today to the Ephesians. He says we are to beContinue Reading
Paul, in our first reading from Ephesians, talks about God’s plan for salvation. Paul says that while other generations did not know it, it “has now been revealed.” That’s important. God’s plan for us is not an accident. While we have to have backup plans, God isn’t likeContinue Reading
I once had the pleasure of listening to a priest tell a story from his childhood. He told about growing up in the city where he and the other neighborhood boys would gather to play a game of stickball. It never failed that the ball would be hit over theContinue Reading
Jesus, today in the Gospel, reprimands his contemporaries for their lack of faith. The problem isn’t that they seek a sign, but their motive and lack of understanding of that sign. They were gathering because they wanted a show—more flashy “magic” and excitement. Jesus tells them they will have noContinue Reading
There are two fundamental aspects of God that our readings point out today. The first one is God’s infinite mercy. The excerpt from the book of Isaiah uses the beautiful imagery of wiping away tears from every face. How could we not be moved by this vision of theContinue Reading