Archive | Question of the Week

The people of Jesus’ time often thought, wrongly, that misfortunes of any kind, such as accidents or ill health, were signs of sinfulness in the unfortunate person or persons. Jesus points out that this was not the case. Those who are not careful about their relationship with God are in greater danger. He gives an […]

The message of this week’s gospel is clear. To see, we need to look. To hear, we need to listen. To experience, we need to open our minds and hearts to the possibility of God’s voice. Look at the Son. Listen to His words. Open your mind and heart to His presence. We don’t need […]

Sometimes we think only of the divinity of Jesus and forget how difficult these temptations must have been for the human Jesus. We face far lesser temptations every day and some we resist while others we give in to. Temptations are necessary for our spiritual growth, in fact it is only after we have been […]

It is easy to find faults in others, but it is just as easy to overlook our own faults. Or as Jesus says in today’s gospel: “We see the speck in another’s eye, but we don’t see the log in our own.” And notice the difference, a speck compared to a log. A little fault […]

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus spells out what it means to honor the Commandment of love. It means loving your enemies, doing good to those who hate you, blessing those who curse you, and praying for those who mistreat you. It means giving to everyone who asks of you and doing to others as you […]

We need to respond to the challenge of the beatitudes in our daily life. Millions are starving, persecuted, homeless, and leading hopeless lives. The only way the promises of the beatitudes can become a reality for them is through the efforts of people like us. That is why we are told that we will be […]

We are each called by the Lord at baptism and confirmation to be his witnesses. No one can say they are not suitable. If Jesus could use the apostles with their obvious weaknesses, he can also use you and me to advance his kingdom. God calls us to make a difference to the world, God […]

It can be tempting to confuse Jesus’ kindness and goodness with passivity, mistakenly imagining him as a person who would never ruffle any feathers because he was so concerned about being “nice.” This one-sided image of Jesus can lead us to excuse our own passivity about the falsehood and evil that surrounds us. We can […]

The ‘option for the poor’ isn’t something invented by twentieth century theologians, nor is it just something fashionable starting at Vatican II. It is the option of God’s Spirit that breathes through Jesus’ whole life, and that we his followers need to introduce into human history. It’s not possible to live and announce Jesus Christ […]

Jesus changing the water to choice wine makes a difference. Each of us has been invited by God to make a difference, to be the simple, yet powerful, instruments of love to change the world. It is the simple every day gestures of love, care, peace and joy that makes “whatever” we are doing better. […]