The only thing I can boast about is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14). These words of St Paul lay bare the dynamics of the Christian life in which the Cross of Christ is central. The great mystics have…
In a book entitled Peculiar Treasures, the renowned novelist and spiritual writer Frederick Buechner reflects on the character of Judas, the man who betrayed Jesus with a kiss and then died by suicide. Buechner, who had lost his own father to suicide, speculates on the reasons why Judas dies by suicide. Referring to an ancient…
Genesis 18:20-32. Colossians 2:12-14. Luke 11:1-13 The first reading (Genesis 18:20-32) from today’s liturgy offers a very intriguing example of Abraham’s prayer for the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah. By examining his attitude, we can already grasp what a genuine prayer should look like. Sometimes, people think that prayer is merely a set of devotional…
CS Lewis, one of the great Christian apologists, didn’t become a Christian without resistance and struggle. He grew into adulthood nursing a certain scepticism and agnosticism. He wasn’t drawn naturally to faith or to Christ. But he was always radically honest in trying to listen to the deepest voices inside and at a certain point…
Acts 14:21-27 Apocalypse 21:1-5 John 13:31-33,34-35 It is becoming increasingly evident that religious objects, such as crosses and holy medals, are not only symbols of people’s faith but are also often incorporated into jewellery or decorative items. Instead of being signs that communicate one’s identity and serve as sources of strength and direction in…
Jesus said: “The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice.” We’re exhausted – as individuals and as a society. Stress, anxiety, overwork and overwhelm are everywhere. Speaking to those in the medical profession lately I was told that these are the most common complaints leading to exhaustion and sick leave. As a friend…
Acts 13:14, 43-52 Ps 100:1-2, 3, 5 Rv 7:9, 14b-17 Jn 10:27-30 Are we listening? This week’s Gospel from John offers this simple, matter-of-fact statement from Jesus: “My sheep hear my voice.” That idea of hearing also crops up in the first reading, from Acts, which reminds us how the people of Antioch responded…
A Benedictine monk shared this story with me. During his early years in religious life, he had been resentful because he was required to ask permission from his abbott if he wanted anything: “I thought it was silly, me, a grown man, an adult, having to ask a superior if I wanted a new shirt.…
The Sunday Gospel Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41 Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13 Rv 5:11-14 Jn 21:1-19 How often do we return to the familiar places we know so well, the places we have visited many times before, whether to rest or escape from life’s overwhelming problems? Whenever I return to my little town in Poland,…
Acts 10:34a, 37-43 Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 Col 3:1-4 OR 1 Cor 5:6b-8 Jn 20:1-9 My good friend recently shared a story about a man he met in a Brazilian prison nearly 30 years ago. Sentenced for a crime he indeed committed, he had little hope of an early release and regaining his freedom.…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Fr Dominik Domagala
Fr John McCarthy