In this gospel story I think poor Martha is given a bit of a hard time. After all, Jesus says that Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be denied her. And what do we then conclude about the part that Martha has chosen? Another way to look at this is to put...
Our gospel is the well-known story referred to as the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). The reading opens with a question posed to Jesus: “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” After recounting the parable, the reading closes with Jesus asking...
We are in the middle of an extended conversation between Job and three friends. The basic message his friends deliver is (1) God does not make mistakes, (2) God punishes sinners, (3) you are being punished, (4) admit your sin, ask forgiveness, and be restored. Job has...
In the first reading, Job was nearly crushed by the pain of suffering. He tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell to the ground when he heard that his children had died (Job 1:20). He then cries out in despair: “Job opened his mouth and cursed his day. Job spoke out...
As a confessor you encounter all kinds of people whose perspective on sins runs the gamut from everything is sin (most mortal!) to “well… I haven’t killed anyone, so I must be good.” Of course, there are very few who inhabit the extremes. Most folks are somewhere in...
