Have you cured someone who was lame so that they could walk lately? Not easy to do, right? But according to Jesus curing the lame is easier than extending forgiveness! “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?” God does not expect us to work miracle cures but… Read More »

If Luke were writing today he would start off something like this:  in the second year of the reign of Donald Trump, when J.B. Pritzker was the incoming governor of Illinois, and Rahm Emanuel the outgoing mayor of Chicago, Francis, the Pope in Rome, and Blase Cardinal Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, the word of… Read More »

The Catholic Church in the mythical Lake Woebegon is named Our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility. After the initial chuckle the name does have a certain resonance. Adam and Eve tried to evade their responsibility, blaming each other and the snake. When the angel appeared to Mary she accepted responsibility for the role God has assigned… Read More »

Today we reflect upon what it means to believe. Two blind men approached Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel and asked for healing. Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they said to him.   Contrast that with the scene where a father approaches Jesus for cure for his child. Jesus challenges… Read More »

Isaiah says, “the LORD is an eternal Rock.” Jesus teaches us to “be like a wise man who built his house on rock.” Where do we find the rock of our faith? That question becomes even more important in our time when so many things happening today can rattle the faith. The clergy abuse scandal… Read More »

Mountains are holy places in the Bible. Abraham led Isaac up Mount Moriah for the sacrifice. God gave Moses the law on Mount Sinai. Elijah confronted the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel. Jesus have his great sermon “on the Mount.” He was transfigured on Mount Tabor, crucified on Mount Calvary and ascended from the… Read More »

The Once and Future King was a modern take on the legend of King Arthur. As Camelot was collapsing the King observes that he had tried to create a just society by having greater force than the forces of injustice. It didn’t work.  “Might does not make right! Right makes right!” That insight lies behind the prophecy… Read More »

Attention to the season of Advent can cure us of the “cuteness” factor that can creep into Christmas. Whenever you see a new born child there is temptation to just say “ahhh.” But Advent reminds us that the new born Jesus is not the occasion for sentimentality but a call to conversion. The prophet Isaiah… Read More »

I was shadowing an experienced teacher in the (futile) hope that I would become an effective catechist. Whenever the class got unruly she would lower her voice, hold up her hand and whisper, “You’re going to miss it.” The class would quiet in expectation. That is a perfect image of the season of Advent. Jesus… Read More »

“Awake from your slumber, arise from you sleep,” begins a popular song. This reflects the words of Jesus: “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from … the anxieties of daily life and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.” How easy it is to sleep walk through life. The dailiness of troubles,… Read More »