The Gospels place the birth of Jesus in the difficult historical events of First Century Palestine, when people suffered under violent terror of the Roman Empire. This year, we will celebrate Christmas with continuing violence of radical Islamic terrorists in the Middle East and around the world. How should we should we respond? Jesus arrived […]
Gospel Reflection for September 7 2014: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Gospel Reflection for September 7 2014 “You’re not going out looking like that!” Parents say that often to teenagers as they display new and ever more outrageous forms of dress. Of course, parents and teenager have different ideas about what is appropriate and fashionable. That’s obvious. What is not obvious, at first, is the very […]
Gospel Reflection for August 31 2014: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Gospel Reflection for August 31 2014 Jesus must do a difficult thing in today’s Gospel and it is risky …even dangerous. He faces it resolutely, with confidence, bravery, and courage as He always does. That is what real leaders do. Jesus decides to head toward Jerusalem, a place filled with enemies who want Him dead. […]
Gospel Reflection for August 24 2014: Ferguson and the Gospel
Gospel Reflection for August 24 2014 We all want to know what actually happened in Ferguson, Missouri, on that tragic night when Michael Brown was shot by a policeman. We naturally hoped there were videos of the whole event. That would solve everything. After all, we see videos of events all the time. It seems […]
Who is a Leader?
Faced with unbearable suffering at the hands of cruel Roman rulers, the Jewish people at the time of Jesus looked for someone who could help. They looked for a leader. Jesus was not the person they wanted. The Jewish people were under terrible military, political, and economic oppression from the Roman Empire. What could they […]