The Good Word

The Gospel passage for the Feast of Saint Matthew is Matthew 9 9-13 As Jesus passed by he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post He said to him Follow me And he got up and followed him While he was at table in his house many tax collectors and sinners cameand sat with Jesus and his

nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Two observations are in order about this Gospel nbsp First we find the words of Jesus about service to others as the means to greatness in his Kingdom to be placed after the prediction of his passion and death and resurrection nbsp As we know Mark had a choice of mater

nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp This Gospel passage has for quite awhile now been recognized by scholars as a key nbsp pivotal moment nbsp of the entire Marcan Gospel nbsp The first 8 chapters have given all the indications to justify the estimates you are a prophet you are Elijah you are John the Ba

These readings emerge from our tradition and liturgy into a world that is filled with violence war torture rape with the devastations of the drug culture and consumerism poverty crime sexism racism lies accusations insults powerfully negative constructions of each other nbsp Our need t

This week school begins for many The beginning of the school year is a scramble whether you are a student or a teacher preparing to return to the classroom And no matter how old the students are or at what level the teacher instructs it often feels chaotic a little out of control and sometimes

nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp We read in the Gospel that Jesus cured a deaf and dumb man and Jesus responded by curing him nbsp The account of this healing continues Mark s intentional presentation of miracle after miracle nbsp As the powers of Jesus overwhelm the variety of evils human beings so of

There is a purity of purpose in the writing of James This Sunday rsquo s Second Reading James 2 1-5 gets to the heart of how the Christian message is meant to transform daily behavior and the always roiling issue of wealth and poverty It is worth reading in full My brothers and sisters show no

In Cardinal Sean O rsquo Malley rsquo s Blog entry On Senator Kennedy rsquo s Funeral one line stood out for me our task is to build a civilization of love This has ever been the task of the Church especially when teaching hard truths that run counter to the tenor of the culture and the politi

Years ago as a teenager I used to listen to the music of Larry Norman perhaps the first of the Jesus rockers Norman now deceased has been the source of much controversy in the Christian rock world including an unflattering portrait in a recent documentary film One thing that could not be sai

The basis of the conflict here between Jesus and his critics Pharisees and those who professionally know the Law is the set of laws known as the laws of cleanliness nbsp Many of these laws came into being because of concerns for health dirtiness could be a cause of harm for many in one s fami