A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. –Luke 6:43-44– What’s worse than finding a worm in
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Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at
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A Homily for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B And people brought to him [i.e. Jesus] a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into
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A Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year B Imagine you’ve been in bed for a few days due to the flu. You are on your way to recovery, but you still feel lousy. Your room reeks of sickness and needs to be aired out. The waste can
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One of my favorite biblical characters is none other than the Canaanite woman described in the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew: At that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity
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One thing I ask of the LORD; this I seek: to dwell in the LORD’s house all the days of my life, to gaze on the LORD’s beauty, to visit his temple. –Psalm 27:4– In order to gain adherents to any particular doctrine, it is necessary to change truth into
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A Homily for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A 18 October 2020 Shine like lights in the world as you hold on to the word of life. –Gospel Acclamation– I bet some of you are familiar with the children’s author Robert McCloskey, who died in 2003. He
Read moreSeek out good books and hate the bad. –Pope Pius XII– Books 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson (psychology) – Peterson, a Canadian clinical psychologist, relies heavily on Carl Jung and the Bible as he urges all of us to take personal responsibility
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July 1999 The babble of some people is like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise is healing. –Proverbs 12:18– Introduction I always felt a secret twinge of regret that my poor eyesight prevented me from following in my surgeon father’s footsteps. But after
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A Homily for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Peter said to him [viz. Jesus] in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward
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