Both readings today speak of justice: our conception of justice and God’s conception of justice. The shepherds in the first reading were acting as many of us. It is hard to criticize them. Sheep are domesticated animals that exist for the benefit of the shepherds. The...
In last week’s Gospel Jesus told a “fish story” and in today’s Gospel Jesus tells a “camel story.” Today’s Gospel is the story of a camel trying to pass through the eye of a needle. A sort of strange story or example. Some scholars have suggested that the needle...
Beginning this Monday just past and continuing until August 21st, with the exception of some solemnities, feast days and memorial celebrations, our first reading is from the Prophet Ezekiel. It is a dense book with lots going on, and it is broken up into bits and...
To understand Clare and also Francis, we must look at the Middle Ages – from the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 to the 1300s. During the Middle Ages, along with most of the rest of society, the Church became stagnant. This is a quick & simple generalization of...
Today is the Feast of St. Lawrence of Rome, one of the early martyrs of the Church who died during the persecution of the Emperor Valerian in 258 AD. Lawrence was one of the seven deacons of Rome, directly serving the pope. Pope Sixtus II had been martyred just four...
