In today’s Gospel is Jesus’ most difficult and challenging teaching. It was difficult in the 1st century, and it is difficult in our time, especially today as we remember the terrorist attack of our enemies on 9/11. Jesus’ words are especially difficult to hear on...
Today’s first reading from Colossians exhorts us to “seek what is above” in other words, to seek and do the will of God. We know the will of God because through our baptism we are already “living” in heaven. In baptism we die to our old self and rise to become new...
In today’s first reading from Colossians Paul is probably quoting from a very early Christian hymn. This hymn sings and teaches us about Jesus and therefore about the one true God. First, we hear that “Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God.” From the Greek...
Today our Gospel begins a largely continuous reading from the Gospel of Luke at the weekday masses. Today’s Gospel is often referred to as Jesus’ inaugural or programmatic address. He attends the weekly synagogue service as a good Jew. After the reading of the...
In today’s Gospel Jesus continues to pronounce a sevenfold woe against the scribes and Pharisees: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites….” Today he again accuses them of hypocrisy because they neglect “the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy...
