August 30, 2026 Matthew 16: 21-27 I have always been fascinated by the prophet Jeremiah and his famous line: “You duped me, Lord, and I let myself be duped; you were too strong for me and you triumphed.” And then as a result: “All day I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me.” To be duped, as in taken in, tricked, maneuvered to do something under false pretenses. And further, the result of this trickery was to be made the object of scorn and derision. And worse, it was G

August 23, 2026 Matthew 16: 13-20 Indeed, who is Jesus? It seems a question that was asked often enough when Jesus was alive. Many did not know what to make of him. The same seems true in our time, even among believers. We search for the historical Jesus. We ponder whether Jesus always knew exactly who he was, or did he develop more as any human being does, gradually becoming aware of who we are. In the end, it is only through the eyes of faith that we came be a peace with wh

August 16, 2026 Matthew 15: 21-28 The healing in today’s gospel does not seem to be the main point it seems to me. Rather, the point is the conversation between Jesus and the Canaanite woman. The conversation leads to the healing. This foreign woman should not expect that Jesus would take any notice of her. After all, she was a woman who should not make public demands on anyone, much less a rabbi. And further, she was not even of the Jewish religion; she was outside the notic

August 9, 2026 Matthew 14: 22-23 There are three movements in today’s readings: silence, storm, and trust. Elijah expects God in the dramatic—the wind, earthquake, and fire. But God comes in the tiny whispering sound. That matters. We naturally look for God through visible results: a problem solved, a door opened, money arriving, a plan succeeding, or circumstances suddenly becoming easier. Yet God’s presence is not measured by how dramatic His intervention appears. Sometimes

August 2, 2026 Matthew 14: 13-21 This miracle was an act of kindness and loving thoughtfulness on the part of Christ. He saw the people's need — it was late for them to return to their homes and they had had nothing to eat all day — and He worked a miracle to provide for this need. The miracle also helped to convince the people of Galilee — the news spread around quickly - that He was the expected Messiah, but especially it prepared the way for the announcement of the greates

July 26, 2026 Matthew 13: 44-46 Have you ever come across something valuable by accident or searched for a valuable object and found it? Do you remember the joy you felt, the excitement? Maybe you found something in a secondhand coat you bought at a garage sale or Good Will Store. And in a pocket you discover a letter signed by George Washington or several U. S. Savings Bonds each worth $500.00. How did you feel? Or you have been searching for a piece of antique jewelry or th

July 19, 2026 Mathew 13: 24-43, or 24-30 Today’s scripture readings are telling us something important about God and about ourselves. When we understand better how God relates with us, then we learn more about who we are. We often do not discern well exactly how God relates to us; and because of this we do not really understand who we are as Jesus’ followers and how we ought to act. And acting as a mirror of God, means that we are called to change the way we see who we are. T

July 12, 2026 Matthew 13: 1-23 We usually consider this gospel in terms of how the good news is received by those who are hearing it for the first time, or concerning the need for new disciples to carry the message to those who have not heard it yet. Today, I would like to consider it from a slightly different point of view. Let’s consider this passage as a soil test for those who have all ready heard the Word, and perhaps even think of themselves as believers. In other words

July 5, 2026 Matthew 11: 25-30 Jesus tells us today that the yoke which was required trying to carry out the many dictates of the Law of Moses is no longer needed if we choose to let it go. He tells us of a new yoke; one that is easy and its burden is light. What is a yoke? For many today, yoke as a noun is a foreign concept that we have never experienced. Today, we do not see many teams of animals joined together by a wooden device that is designed to make them a team. Not m

June 28, 2026 Matthew 10: 37-42 A woman of influence...it sounds like the title of the latest novel whose content is questionable! And yet this is where our readings begin this Sunday. But the women we consider today are influential in a different way. The common theme of today’s readings is the work God gives us to do as the followers of Jesus: to love God and our brothers and sisters through hospitality, generosity, commitment, and charity. They also remind us of the sacri

June 21, 2026 Gospel: Mt. 10: 26-33 Fear is a theme running through our readings this Sunday. But they also show that fear is not an end in itself, not something to be nourish and fed; but it can be useful. I am reminded of the interior journey of a man who became Archbishop of El Salvador in a time when El Salvador was experiencing great stress and repression of ordinary people, especially indigenous people whose land and livelihoods had been taken from them. When he was mad

June 14, 2026 Matthew 9:36-10:8 We have recently completed the liturgical cycle that takes us from Holy week, through Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, and finally, the Body and Blood of Christ, commemorating the abiding presence of Jesus in our midst until he comes again. And yet, with the readings for this 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, year A, we are back at the beginning off Jesus’ ministry to bring redemption to the human race and to each of us individually. A

June 7, 2026 Matthew 5:13-16 We have often heard the phrase, “You are what you eat.” This is certainly true; what we eat and drink can strengthen with a healthy body, and there a healthy soul, or it can weaken us, sometime to the point where neither body or soul function well. But when we take care of our body, our soul can thrive, and we are able to accomplish much. This even more so when we eat and drink the body of the Lord. An example of this for us to consider the life o

May 31, 2026 John 3:16-18 Our Epistle today, St. Paul greets people in the Holy Trinity, saying: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” Notice St. Paul is not trying to explain the Trinity as an idea or dogma, but he is wishing a blessing in the name of three persons who make up the Trinity as one God, a reality of persons. The theologian, Fr. Karl Rahner, was once asked by a pastor how to explain th

May 24, 2026 John 20:19-23 In a Reader’s Digest’s article, Fr. Simplicio Apalisok in his book, tells how of a child, was captivated by the sight of an old man prayerfully peering into an old cistern. Intrigued about what the old man was looking at, so the boy edged up to the cistern and tried to see over the ledge. The old man held him with his shovel-like hands helped him over the ledge of the wheel. “Do you know who lives there?” the old man asked. The frightened boy shook

May 17, 2026 Matthew 28: 16-20 A beautiful old story tells of how Jesus, after his Ascension into Heaven, was surrounded by the angels who began to inquire about his work on earth. Jesus told them about His birth, life, preaching, death and Resurrection, and how he had accomplished the salvation of the world. The Archangel Gabriel asked, “Well, now that you are back in Heaven, who will continue your work on earth?” Jesus said, “While I was on earth, I gathered a group of peop

May 10, 2026 John 14: 15-21 In today’s gospel from John, Jesus emphasizes again that the only thing necessary for life is to love Jesus, and if we do, we will observe his commandments. It seems so simple. Of course, the key thing is the way we do love Jesus. That is the crucial thing for salvation. Next, Jesus tells us that we will not be left orphans, that is fatherless, or without the Lord as our Leader or Rabbi. He says that he will leave us for a while and then be with us

May 3, 2026 John 14: 1-12 It seems as if the disciples refused to be comforted. They seem to refuse to take in what Jesus is telling them now and has been telling them for the past few years; Jesus spoke not only with his words, but also with his actions. And yet, the disciples do not get it. We have seen this all through our meditations through Holy Week; in fact the misunderstanding of the disciples is clearly present at the point Jesus turns his face to Jerusalem as he tra

April 26, 2026 Acts 4:8-12; John 10: 11-1 In today’s gospel, Jesus proclaims that he is the good shepherd, who lays down his life for his sheep. He is not the unworthy shepherd who is a hired hand and has not real love or care for his sheep, and certainly would not put his life in danger to protect them. Jesus does not work for pay, but rather is the shepherd who has been entrusted with the sheep by his Father and loves them to the point of death. Just as the Father love this

April 19, 2026 Luke 24: 35-48 Why is it that at least some of the disciples present in the upper room were terrified when Jesus appeared so abruptly in their midst? I mean, the two disciples who encountered Jesus on the road to Emmaus had just finished telling the others about their experience. They had recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread. Everyone there had just heard about this; and yet when Jesus wished them ‘peace,’ “...they were startled and terrified and thoug