Reflections

The Joy of Believing Our journey through Advent has highlighted hope, the virtue that keeps us going through darkness and coldness.  We are going through a winter under the restrictions of coping with the Covid virus.  It is a severe winter for the homeless and for people who have lost their jobs.  Hope keeps us…

Well Done, Keep Going The Gospel for this Sunday (Matt 25:14-30) is a parable encouraging us to use whatever talents we have, no matter how small or trivial they might seem.  While we are still on Level 5 of the battle against Covid 19, we need all the encouragement we can get.  We accept restrictions…

Purgatory: Therapy of Divine Love Purgatory is not specifically mentioned in the bible but the doctrine of purgatory is a beautiful development which holds in unity two ideas that might seem to be contradictory. The doctrine of God’s holiness reminds us of God’s unique otherness, glory and light, far beyond anything we might deserve.  The…

Light for November Many of us will be familiar with the opening lines of Thomas Hood’s delightful poem, “I remember, I remember the house where I was born, The little window where the sun peeped in at morn.” Less familiar and less cheerful are his lines about November, “No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no…

The Greatest Commandment It was an attempt to start an argument with Jesus, to disconcert him when one of the Pharisees asked for his opinion on the greatest commandment.  Jesus cut through all their commentaries and debates with a simple and challenging answer.  “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with…

Sun28A God’s Invitation to us Today’s Gospel (Matt 22:1-14) is a parable about an invitation to a wedding, not just any wedding, but the royal wedding of the king’s son.   In Michelangelo’s famous fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the finger of God is reaching towards Adam drawing him into life.  It is…

    “Let me sing to my friend the song of his love for his vineyard”.   These are the opening words of today’s First Reading from Isaiah.   However, it turns out to be a sad song about a neglected vineyard that produced sour wine.   The Responsorial Psalm identifies the vineyard as the House of Israel….

Francis Mary: Patron Saint for a Pandemic There’s more trouble down the farm today.  In last Sunday’s Gospel it was grumbling over wages in the vineyard.  This Sunday (Matt 21:28-31) it’s a father’s confrontation with a son who said he would do the job but he didn’t.   Conversely, the other son stamped out in blunt…

God’s Generosity “Why be envious because I am generous?”  The story of the workers in the vineyard is not about paying a fair wage (Matt 20:1-16).  The parable is about envy.  Every worker got the agreed payment.  The horrible aspect of envy is that it is a negative reaction to some goodness or success that…