Spiritual

Today we hear Jesus, in Matthew’s Gospel, say that we must forgive anyone who harms us 77 times! Seven is the number of perfection, so Jesus is saying that we must be perfect—hold no grudges and show mercy. Wow, that is a lot to take in and even harder to do. Just how am I […]

Today a little girl shows me what I need to do. In the excerpt from 2 Kings, Naaman, the highly esteemed army commander, is a leper. It is a young Israeli slave girl, whose faith is strong, who tells him about a man of God who will cure him of his leprosy. She is convinced

Today in the 1st reading from Exodus, we see how the Israelites were unhappy about leaving Egypt. They hated the food on this journey, and they were thirsty, and they missed their homes, and and and…. Well, change is hard. Being uprooted and moving, no matter if the move is for the better, it is scary.

Today the prophet Micah calls on God to tend the Israelites like a shepherd—to pasture them again as of old and forgive their sins. The image of a shepherd is not one that we in the United States can really identify with. There are not a lot of sheep farms and few of us know

The famous dreamer of the Hebrew Scriptures’ book of Genesis, Joseph, is sold into slavery today, by his brothers. We know that Joseph goes on to be far-sighted, storing grain so the whole county and more can survive a drought. Meaning that those who did not work for grain, are given it. In Matthew’s Gospel,

Frances of Rome Today we are given the familiar story of Dives (the rich man who is not named, but tradition holds was named Dives) and Lazarus. We are all so quick to judge Dives, but I’m guessing there is more to the story. And today I think the other readings give us an idea

St. John of God Today, I am confronted with the reality that if I walk this journey toward to God and actually change, become a better person, there may be some unpleasant consequences. The long-suffering prophet, Jeremiah, prays for help because people find him odious, obnoxious, and a pain because he is righteous, calling their

Feast of Perpetua and Felicity Jesus, today in Matthew’s Gospel, has some sharp words to say about the leaders of his time. He warns his followers to listen to what they say, but not to follow their examples. That got me to thinking—what sort of example do I set? I am not an elected leader,

Today, Daniel addresses the Almighty as “Lord, great and awesome God…” Now that is what I call a salutation!! He goes on to say that God is compassionate and forgiving no matter what. Jesus, in Luke’s Gospel excerpt, promises that we will receive blessings—they will overflow!! That should cause me to think about how I