What makes a church a church? Is it stain glass windows, a steeple and pews? That better not be the case or we’re in big trouble. But if not that, what does make a church a church? Is it the preacher preaching, the lectors lecting, the choir singing and the ushers ushing? What makes a… Read More »

In the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles we read that the post-resurrection Jesus movement consisted of Mary and the brothers, the eleven apostles and about one hundred others. Three years of work by the greatest preacher and teacher of all time and all he had to show for it was 120 followers.… Read More »

“Someone will lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus offered that prediction to St. Peter but not much prophetic insight lies behind that prediction. It is a common human experience. When we are young and full of spit and vinegar we imagine that our choices will be what determines our life. Reality… Read More »

The High Priestly Prayer of Jesus as recorded in St. John’s gospel ends with Our Lord praying for unity — “may they be one as we are one, Heavenly Father.” We know from the Acts of the Apostles that from the very beginning of the Jesus movement there were differences of opinion among Christians. The… Read More »

The readings assigned for this day can be considered valedictory addresses: St. Paul’s farewell to the Ephesians and Jesus’ farewell to his apostles. Both Paul and Jesus warn that after they are gone things will get hard — the “savage wolves” will attack the church at Ephesus and the “Evil One” will assail the followers… Read More »

St. John ends his account of the Last Supper with Jesus saying a long prayer — scholars call it the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus. In this prayer Jesus prays for his disciples which, of course, includes us. Two lessons: first, how consoled we should be that we have powerful intercessors who are praying for… Read More »

St. Paul continues his missionary journey and ends up in Ephesus, another major city in the empire. Here he goes about building up the newly formed Christian community — “altogether there were about twelve men.” When we think of great preachers we imagine them in vast arenas with thousands of hearers and mass conversions. But… Read More »

“Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?” the angel asked the apostles after Jesus departed from them. You can picture the scene. They were all just standing around gazing into the heavens wondering what just happened. The Acts of the Apostles does not tell us how the apostles responded to… Read More »

Seemingly from out of nowhere, St. Luke in the Acts of the Apostles talks about a preacher named Apollos. While he is portrayed as an effective speaker, his formation in the faith seems to have been lacking. But St. Paul does not shut him down, but rather works with him to deepen his understanding of… Read More »

How fitting that in these days before Mother’s Day in the US that the daily gospel reading is taken from John 16 where Jesus uses the image of a mother giving birth to describe the life of Christians in the world. Reflection on the experience of women has been one of the great advances in… Read More »