Archive: October 2013

Do We Really Want To Change?

Do We Really Want To Change?

The basic message of Luke’s Gospel account for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time is that Jesus went into Zacchaeus’ house and Zacchaeus ended up going into God’s house. The message in all three of today’s scripture readings (Wisdom 11:22-12:2;...

Listening To The Voice Of The Lord

Listening To The Voice Of The Lord

On this 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear three great passages from the scriptures. A homily could be preached on each one and still we would not be able to grasp the fullness of the passages. The first reading from Sirach (35:12-14, 16-18)...

Enjoying Your Obamelet?

Obamelet is an apt metaphor for the President’s transformation of the economy. It recalls Vladimir Lenin’s statement, made 75 years ago in reference to the Great Famine in Ukraine:  “If you want to make an omelet, you must be willing to break a few...

Remaining Faithful In Prayer

Remaining Faithful In Prayer

In the early 1990s a Chinese-born American citizen in Tennessee, a man named Vincent Tan, had a series of miraculous encounters with angels.  As a scientist, he was tempted to be skeptical of what he was experiencing, but as a Christian, he was...

God Has Chosen Us

God Has Chosen Us

The Gospel account (Luke 18:9-14) for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time is famous, one with which we are all familiar. It tells the well-known story of the sinner who sat in the back of the Temple beating his breast while seeking mercy and the...

The Gift Of Forgiveness

The Gift Of Forgiveness

I am sure that we are all familiar with road construction.  It seems that everywhere you turn nowadays some road is being either repaired, resurfaced, or entirely replaced.  Have you noticed the size and complexity of some of the equipment that is...

In Our Prayer, Are We Persistent Or Do We Whine?

In Our Prayer, Are We Persistent Or Do We Whine?

Persistence is different from nagging or whining. In the examples given in Scripture, persistence is the art of getting justice for a wrong or it is to persevere in the truth. Nagging or whining, on the other hand, are tactics used to get something...

Will He Find Any Faith On Earth?

Will He Find Any Faith On Earth?

The point of the Gospel (Luke 18:1-8) for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time is obviously Jesus encouraging our persistence in prayer.  But there is an incredible irony in the story that Jesus tells. You see, the women in that society, during the time...