St. Luke of all the gospel writers stresses the role of women in the ministry of Jesus as among the first followers, prominently among them Mary Magdalene. She is called “the apostle to the apostles” because of her witness of the Risen Jesus. In the preaching of the Church over the centuries she has gotten… Read More »

St. Matthew’s Gospel , like all four accounts in the New Testament, is geared to help us come to faith in Jesus. Matthew’s portrait of Jesus no doubt reflects his own experience of responding to the call to “follow me.” The overarching theme of the gospel can be found in the way St. Matthew brackets… Read More »

No matter what you do you’re going to get criticized. They criticized John the Baptist for being a religious fanatic and they criticized Jesus as a party animal. Since they are going to criticize you anyway, you might as well do the right thing! For example, the Church is critiqued nowadays for “getting involved in… Read More »

St. Pope John Paul II in 1994  decreed “the reservation of priestly ordination to men alone” and wrote that “the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women”. He issued the decree so “that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance.” The Holy Father did not address the matter… Read More »

“I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity.” These words of St. Paul were written at a time when the infant Church could not count on “all in authority” to… Read More »

Forgiveness ain’t easy. St. Peter certainly thought so. He tried to put limits on forgiveness. “Seven times?” But Jesus kept stressing the importance of forgiving. Forgive seventy-seven times. Each of you forgives your brother or sister from your heart. Right in the Lord’s Prayer: forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against… Read More »

St. Paul writes: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these am the foremost.” Pope Francis soon after he was elected Pope said: “I am a sinner. This the most accurate definition. It is not a figure of speech, a literary genre. I am a sinner, but I trust in the infinite mercy… Read More »

Perhaps you have seen the poster entitled: “It was the women who stayed.” Although they differ in the details of who exactly was there, all four of the evangelists report that the apostles fled and a group of women remained when Jesus was crucified. The lesson we can draw from this in our own life:… Read More »

“Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.” If you think about it, the first sin of Adam and Eve was grasping. They grasped after that apple because the snake told them that after they grasped it, “you will be like gods.” St.… Read More »

Karl Marx. of all people, warned us to be careful not to treat the concrete as if it were abstract. When St. Luke reports the sayings of Jesus we call the Beatitudes he does so in a very concrete way. Instead of the more abstract “blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who… Read More »