Speaking to the Heart

Speaking to the Heart

Today’s readings for Mass pair Hosea and Matthew.  At first glance, they seem unrelated. The Book of Hosea speaks of God courting Israel like a faithful bridegroom. The Gospel of Matthew recounts two healing miracles: the raising of a synagogue official’s...
Blessed are those…

Blessed are those…

Today is the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostles. The readings include the well known account from John 20:24-29 when Thomas, in response to the testimony of the other apostles, says: “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks...
Finishing the Race

Finishing the Race

“I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith” (2 Tm 4:7) So wrote St. Paul in his letter to Timothy.  Eric Liddle understood that. He was China-born in 1902, the son of Scot Presbyterian missionaries, who, as was the custom, sent Eric and his...
Beneath the Surface

Beneath the Surface

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. One of the striking things about today’s celebration is that, although we celebrate the birth of St. John the Baptist, almost nothing dramatic happens apart from Zachariah being again able...
Wisdom and When

Wisdom and When

We continue to draw our gospels from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Today the Gospel is taken from Matthew 7 which is the concluding part of the Sermon. The opening verse is not the most attractive saying: “Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before...