Deep Calls to Deep 14th Sunday Ordinary Time – Seeking & Finding
I was quite surprised to weigh the value of the verb, “to find,” heurisko. It draws so many themes in Matthew together into a network that adds insight to this passage from Sunday’s gospel. Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle & humble in […]
14th Sunday Ordinary Time – “Come to me, all who are weary…”
I’ll lead into the post of my homily by highlighting two key words that I found just fascinatingly different from what I expected. Here is the first. “Come to me…” The Greek, deuete, is most often translated, “Come!” There is one exception that seems interesting and that leads into an informed guess… Matthew 4:18f […]
Thoughts on Independence Day…
God, I’m grateful for the beautiful land, 50 states of remarkable grandeur. I thank you for our founders who established the ideals of democracy, a new impulse in human history which began to be made real in 1776. I offer thanks for the many peoples who have come to the U.S. from so many nations, […]
A Response to: “Should we hold hands or not at the Our Father?”
Oh, this is a perennial issue, isn’t it? And, as NCR points out, there are many reasons pro and con about whether a congregation ought hold hands. They are legion. https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/should-we-hold-hands-or-not-during-our-father I recall this practice appearing at Jesuit College when I was a novice. Perhaps it was 1968 or 1969. Again, to many it seemed […]
O’Connor Memorial Day #28
Today my family remembers our mother, Mary Elizabeth, who died on on this date in 1989 from pneumonia, bone cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. She was weeks short of turning 63. Looking back, she was the delightful, beautiful, and wounded woman who passed on to us the frailties and strengths of her side of the family. […]
Ascension Thursday-on-Sunday (2)
Here is the audio version of my homily from the feast of the Ascension. Besides the presence/absence (connection/abandonment) paradox, I also take up the tension between openness and resistance to Christ’s ascension. The context: the baptism of little Charlotte.
Ascension Thursday-on-Sunday (!)
Here is what I wrote for the Gesu bulletin for this feast. I like it, anyway. Let me know what you think. For a few years not that long ago, I began to think of the feast of the Ascension as a celebration of abandonment, being left in the lurch, or Arnold saying, “I’ll […]
5th of Easter – Mothers’ Day, Infant Baptism, & the Place of Encounter
The community at the 9 am Mass of the Church of the Gesu welcomed two 3 month-old baby girls into the faith of the Church – Nora & Quinn. What might “preparing a place” mean to the couples who undertake the religious formation of their daughters? Here’s a thought. Or two.
5th of Easter – Mothers’ Day & the Place of Encounter
Happy Mother’s Day to all who so celebrate today! It seems to me that moms give so much and probably don’t receive enough back from those whom they love. For any moms whose approach to life resembles mine – there is NEVER enough – this is for you. The gospel of John, I propose, speaks first […]
4th of Easter – Audio homily (finally)
Perhaps these 13 minutes can help you prepare for Sunday’s gospel. Or help reflect on last week’s gospel about Jesus, the gate for the sheepfold.
Deep Calls to Deep 