In elementary school, I remember the way teachers would sort large groups of students into smaller ones. Whether they were sorting by grade or class, each of us came to know one thing. When we walked through the school doors, we were fair game for—...
While in church one day, St. Anthony of the Desert (251-356 A.D.) heard a proclamation from the Gospel of Matthew (19:21) that spoke directly to his heart: “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give it to the poor.” For twenty-year...
An appropriate title for our reflection on the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time could be: How God’s Word works in us. With Saint Paul, I could say: I am reminding you, my brothers and sisters of this Christian Community, of the gospel I preached to...
Some years ago a Christian in India named Sundar was walking with a Buddhist monk on a mountain trail high in the Himalayas. It was late afternoon, and growing very cold; the monk warned him that if they did not reach their destination, a Buddhist...
One of my favorite scriptural passages to use during the Rite of Baptism is found in the Gospel of Matthew (19:13-15): Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people; but Jesus said...
One April day in 1993, two friends—Donald and John—set off from Charleston, South Carolina in Donald’s forty-six foot boat Perseverance on a two-day cruise to Fort Lauderdale in Florida. By the middle of the second day, heavy clouds had set in, and...
How do I get there from here? That question used to be part of every car trip to an unfamiliar place, at least when the wife got her way and the husband asked for directions. About twenty years ago, a newly married couple from the parish invited me...
Legend states that when the Holy Family hurried into the Sinai Peninsula after fleeing from Bethlehem, they were pursued by some of King Herod’s men. As the soldiers drew near, Joseph and Mary spotted a cave, and quickly hid there with the infant...
