Reflections for Ordinary Time

I sometimes think we’d be better off if somehow we could read our readings backwards! Inevitably we are left with the strongest impression from what comes at the end. If these were speeches or homilies that would be appropriate – any experienced speaker knows to finish with the thought that she or he wants to […]

Recently I received a message telling me that a friend I had known for 30 years had gone out for a bike ride, as he often did, had a heart attack and died. He was not old and was in good health.  Such events can shock us into a reappraisal of our expectations and priorities.

Today in Luke’s Gospel (Lk 11:1-13) we hear how Jesus taught his his disciples to pray – the prayer we use every week at mass, and on many other occasions, privately and publicly. This prayer is also given in Matthew’s Gospel (Mt 6:5-15), with slightly different words, but in a very different context. Matthew is

Do you feel like maybe Martha was rather badly treated? After all she was the one who welcomed Jesus. (Lk 10:38-42) When Abraham welcomed the Lord he got a son by way of recognition for his efforts. (Gn 18:1-10a) When Martha asks for a bit of help in the kitchen (and who hasn’t been in that

Yup, it really is that simple! Love God and love your neighbor and, by the way, everyone is your neighbor. It’s not complicated. It may not be easy, but it’s not complicated… Moses himself pointed out (Dt 30:10-14) that the law of the Lord wasn’t away in the sky or in some far off place.

Last week we were focused on our individual, personal response to Jesus’ call. This week our attention shifts to the external impact of this call – what does it mean for us and the people around us, the people we come into contact with? We are very used to the idea that Jesus’ message included

Our readings this week point out how following Jesus requires a certain strength of character. Yes his call is a gift, but it still takes an effort to respond (as it did also for Elisha – 1 Kgs 19:16b, 19-21), and to stay with it. One challenge for us in thinking about this is that

I sit here in Europe with a war starting not so far away, hard though it is to believe. Yes, it’s the other side of the continent, but less than the distance from San Fransisco to New York, in a country that doesn’t seem so different, with people who don’t seem very different. Wars are

Jesus says: “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you”. (Lk 6:27-38) And just to be sure he repeats it: “love your enemies and do good to them”. Then he finishes up with “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” From ridiculous to impossible! Let’s start with the impossible and work back

“Blessed are the poor”. So that’s OK then… The poor may be having a tough time right now, but they’ll be OK at some point in the future, actually in another life. (Lk 6:17, 20-26) This view of Jesus’ teaching, which pushes the impact into the future is a profound distortion. The distortion arises because