Hello Families, Today’s Gospel offers a contrast to many of the messages we hear in our society today. If we were to accept uncritically the “get ahead” messages of our culture, we would think that happiness means having money, being successful, having many possessions, and so on. When we think this way, we are not…
Today’s readings define our Christian goal of eternal happiness and explain the attitudes and actions necessary to reach it. In the Beatitudes, Jesus outlines the values and attitudes needed to enter and enjoy God’s kingdom: poverty of spirit, hunger and thirst for justice, compassion, meekness, mercy, integrity, peace-making, and the willingness to suffer persecution for…
Hello Families, in today’s Gospel, Jesus begins to preach in Galilee and calls His first disciples. The Gospel tells us little about the background of these fishermen, their work, and their families. In today’s Gospel, we are simply told that James and John left their father, Zebedee, in the boat and followed Jesus. Some details…
Today’s readings show that the early Christians understood how Jesus had fulfilled the expectations of ancient Israel. Describing the humble beginning of the public ministry of Jesus, today’s Scripture readings teach us that Christ has brought us from the darkness of sin into the Light of God by calling us to repentance and the acceptance…
Hello Families, in today’s gospel, the ministry of John the Baptist prepared for and pointed to the ministry of Jesus. In a similar way, our lives are to offer testimony to who we know Jesus to be for us and for the world. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of…
Today’s Gospel reminds us that being a disciple of Jesus means that we are to grow by Faith to become witnesses for him. Bearing witness to Christ is an active, not passive, lifetime enterprise. One cannot be a disciple of Jesus at a distance, any more than one can be a distant lover. We are…
Hello Families, in today’s gospel, the Magi seek out Jesus and do him homage. The tradition of giving gifts at Christmas is thought by some to be rooted in the gift giving of the Magi. In many cultures, gifts are not exchanged at Christmas, but rather on the feast of the Epiphany. Whenever you exchange…