In the Canaanite woman in today’s Gospel reading, we see four important virtues for all of us to emulate: faith, courage, humility, and hope. First, faith. As a Canaanite, this woman was a non-Jew, a pagan who worshipped false gods rather than the true God of Israel. And yet, through the experience of suffering and... Continue Reading →

Gospel Reading: Mt 18:21–19:1 The message for us today is clear and simple, even though it is not easy. You and I have received mercy and forgiveness from God for our sins, and we must give mercy and forgiveness to those who have sinned against us. The debt that you and I owe God because... Continue Reading →

With great joy, we celebrate today the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when God raised His blessed Mother into heaven, body and soul, at the end of her earthly life. In the year 1950, Pope Pius XII declared that this belief about Mary has been held by Christians since the early... Continue Reading →

Jesus tells us today the parable of the dragnet. A dragnet is a very large net that brings in all kinds of different fish and debris from a lake. Fishermen cast this net over a very large area of a lake and then pull it in to the shore. After they draw in the catch,... Continue Reading →

Have you ever had the experience of seeing someone’s life and thinking to yourself, “Wow. It would be amazing to have that life?” You and I are hard-wired to be able to recognize goodness and beauty, and we long for it. Maybe you’ve seen other people’s loving relationships, where a married couple or even a... Continue Reading →

In our Gospel reading today, Jesus speaks to us through the parable of the weeds among the wheat. Jesus Himself explains the symbolism of this parable a few verses later: Jesus Himself is the one who is sowing good seed in the field of our world. The good seed or the wheat represents Jesus’ disciples,... Continue Reading →

Our Lord gives us a challenging call in our Gospel today. He tells us that whoever loves father, or mother, or son, or daughter more than Him is not worthy of Him. This sounds radical to us. Surely God would not expect us to place our religion above our family, right? Isn’t family supposed to... Continue Reading →

In our readings this weekend, we hear about fear. We might be a little confused, though. Because in the Gospel reading, Jesus tells us to not be afraid, but He also tells us to be afraid. So what’s going on? Which one is it? Should we fear, or should we not fear? Let us take... Continue Reading →

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” What a challenge it is to heed Jesus’ call to love our enemies rather than hating them. Who are the “enemies” in your life right now? Who are the people you struggle to love rather than hate? Who comes to mind? Doesn’t Jesus understand how... Continue Reading →