Some of you might have seen the film Signs this summer. Behind the scary, horror movie surface of its narrative is the very human story of a priest whose wife has recently been killed in a car accident. As a result, the priest finds he is losing his faith in God. He has taken off…

Paul’s twelfth chapter in the letter to the church in Rome and the sixteenth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, both seek to open to us the mysteries of a life lived with God. Herein lies the heart of the good news. Characteristically, it is good news that sounds like bad news before we find a way…

Think of South Dakota and one thinks of Mount Rushmore. Carved into the mountainside are the heads of some of the great leaders of the United States. It’s ironic that this monument is in the heart of an area sacred to the Lakota and Dakota people whose ancestors possessed the land centuries before George Washington’s…

Let us prefer nothing to the love of Christ;and may he bring us all to everlasting life. In today’s Gospel we hear the remarkable story of a Canaanite woman who comes to Jesus seeking healing for her daughter. “Canaanite” signified “pagan” to the Jews of Jesus’ time. The area of Tyre and Sidon, on the…

The voice of the Lord is over the waters…[Psalm 29] Pentecost is a time of explanation, a time of gradual but astounding revelation. The readings for this season try to explain to the people of God who have been redeemed by the death and resurrection of the Lord the vastness, the depth of the gift…

It is very difficult to read the three appointed lessons for today without weeping. These must be the passages that have sustained communities in distress through the ages: these are the words that allow the great suffering peoples of Africa and the tiny Christian remnant in the Middle East to cling to hope in these…

I will open my mouth in a parable;*I will declare the mysteries of ancient times.That which we have heard and known,and what our forefathers have told us,*we will not hide from their children.We will recount to generations to come,the praiseworthy deeds and the Power of the LORD,*and the wonderful workshe has done. Today’s Gospel reading…

We frequently find ourselves caught in the midst of seemingly unresolved tensions. Such situations arise at home, at work, on the field of competition, and in our corporate national life, especially in the areas of politics and the economy. Despite the fact that all economic indicators place those of us in the United States in…

What is your treasure? Where is your treasure? It would be a good thing to take an actual survey on these questions. We would continue by asking: “Is your treasure an accumulation of money? A beautiful house? An heirloom?” “Is your treasure a loved one, a spouse, a child, a grandchild?” “What is your treasure?”…

Although you are sovereign in strength you judge with mildness and with great forbearance you govern us; for you have power to act whenever you choose. Wisdom 12:18 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now. And not only the creation but we ourselves who have the first fruits…