The Sunday Gospel Jos 24: 1-2a, 15-17, 18b Ps 34: 2-3, 16-21 Eph 5:21-32 or 5:2a, 25-32 Jn 6: 60-69 When was the last time you had the opportunity to give public witness to Christian faith? Perhaps it was in the presence of co-workers or neighbours, or maybe among friends and family. Whenever we witness…

I teach Spirituality at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. Fifteen years ago, we began offering a PhD in Spirituality. In the fifteen years since we have had doctoral students from many different Christian denominations – Mainline Protestants, Evangelicals, Episcopalians/Anglicans, and Roman Catholics. During those fifteen years we have not had a…

The Sunday Gospel Prv 9:1-6 Ps 34:2-7 Eph 5:15-20 Jn 6:51-58 This Gospel puts me in a New York state of mind. Encountering this Sunday’s passage from John’s Gospel, I can’t help but think back to a stretch of West 31st Street in New York City where, not far from Madison Square Garden, you can…

In a section of her poem The Leaf and the Cloud, Mary Oliver describes her feelings as she stands by the gravesite of her father and mother. She reflects on how both their virtues and faults influenced her life. Then she ends the reflection with these words: I give them – one, two, three, four…

The Sunday Gospel 1 Kgs 19:4-8 Ps 34:2-9 Eph 4:30—5:2 Jn 6:41-51 Food advertising is everywhere. From television to social media platforms, in grocery stores and restaurants, from food commercials to nutrition labels, we are surrounded with information about food. The marketing of food is a billion-dollar industry that encourages brand loyalty, even as consumers…

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference. Most of us are familiar with these words from Robert Frost which have been used countless times in graduation and commencement addresses and other inspirational talks as a challenge to not just follow…

The Sunday Gospel Ex 16:2-4, 12-15 Ps 78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54 Eph 4:17, 20-24 Jn 6:24-35 When you think about it, we got our first clue at Christmas. It was there, in the very name of the town where Jesus was born: Bethlehem, a word which means in both Aramaic and Hebrew, ‘House of Bread’.…

One of the great tragedies in all literature is the biblical story of Saul. Saul makes Hamlet look like a Disney character. Hamlet, at least, had good reasons for the disaster that befell him. Saul, given the gifts with which he started, should have fared better, much better. His story begins with the announcement that…

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…

Prayer is most needed just when it seems most useless. Michael J. Buckley, one of the major spiritual mentors in my life, wrote those words. What does he mean by them? In the face of so many problems we can get the feeling that praying about them is useless. For example, in the face of…