The Sunday Gospel 2 Kgs 4:42-44 Ps 145:10-11, 15-16, 17-18 Eph 4:1-6 Jn 6:1-15 The celebration of a National Eucharistic Congress this year invites reflection on the gift and mystery of the Eucharist. We are reminded that each time we participate in the Mass we are connected to an unbroken tradition that traces back to…
In the second book of his Dialogues, Pope Gregory the Great tells of the holiness of St Benedict, whose memorial is celebrated on the 11th day of July. We learn that Benedict lived for three years in Subiaco, some 40 miles outside of Rome. He fled the ancient city that was self-destructing in its moral…
The Sunday Gospel Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24 Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13 2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15 Mk 5:21-43 or 5:21-24, 35b-43 Deep below the outskirts of Rome is a vast network of underground tunnels and chambers, known as the Roman catacombs. There, the early Christians made burial spaces outside the city walls where…
The Sunday Gospel Ez 17:22-24 Ps 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16 2 Cor 5:6-10 Mk 4:26-34 To walk by faith, and not by sight, is one of the challenges and joys of the spiritual journey. This is the invitation extended to all in God’s word this Sunday. As the Church returns to ordinary time, God’s word invites…
The Sunday Gospel Ex 24:3-8 Ps 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18 Heb 9:11-15 Mk 14:12-16, 22-26 “Be what you see, become what you receive!” With these words, the saintly bishop Augustine urged his flock to deepen their understanding of the gift and mystery of the Eucharist. The good bishop reminded the faithful that the Eucharist transforms them…
The Sunday Gospel Acts 2:1-11 Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Gal 5:16-25 Jn 20:19-23 or Jn 15:26-27; 16:12-15 When St John Paul II was elected to the papacy in 1978 among his first words to the world, spoken during his inaugural homily, were, “Be not afraid! Open wide the…
The Sunday Gospel Scripture Reflection for May 5, 2024, Sixth Sunday of Easter Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48 Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4 1 Jn 4:7-10 Jn 15:9-17 In a digital culture dominated by social media and technological means of communication, the idea of friendship can often be reduced to superficial exchanges. Friendship is measured by numbers…
Good Shepherd Sunday Acts 4:8-12 Ps 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29 1 Jn 3:1-2 Jn 10:11-18 Throughout 2,000 years of Christian history, artistic expressions of faith can always be found. From the rustic art of the early Roman catacombs to the monumental Byzantine Romanesque basilicas to the soaring Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages,…
Fear is a powerful human emotion that shapes our actions and words. A young man named Karol Wojtyla personally experienced the gripping fear that his country of Poland endured during the Nazi terrors of World War II. Karol belonged to a small theatre group who was forced to go underground as the Nazis occupied their…
Jem Sullivan The sacred events of Holy Week beg the question: Why did Jesus, the Son of God, have to suffer a cruel, unjust death on a cross? Was Jesus’ suffering the only means by which humanity could be reconciled to friendship with God? Jesus was obedient to the point of death, even death on…