The Good Word

First an old story that is worth repeating A man was in his dinghy on a lake when a large yacht rammed him and his dinghy sank As the man began to drown the crew of the yacht threw him a life jacket but the man yelled back I don t need help for God will soon save me Straight away anot

Once again this week America offers FREE access to The Word commentary This is the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Diane Bergant writes that the readings for today offer us two conflicting images One is of abundance and rejoicing the other is of the cross and self-denial John R Donahue S

The apostle Thomas is best known for his stubborn refusal without further empirical evidence to believe in the resurrection of Jesus Perhaps because he is my patron saint I have always been dismayed–and admittedly defensive–about the moniker Doubting Thomas What follows is a playful midras

Jesus asked Peter three times Do you love me You know I do was Peter s repeated and heated response Paul at the end of his life wrote that all I want is to gain Christ and be found in him Whatever else Peter and Paul did for the glory of God and the salvation of souls–and their ac

In his book Things You Get For Free Michael McGirr tells the story of going on pilgrimage to Rome with his mother Maureen McGirr had always wanted to see St Peter s Basilica Michael records the big day One of the features of a visit to St Peter s is the modesty inspection This is the ki

July 1st is the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Daniel Harrington notes that the Gospel reading from Luke marks the start of an important journey for Jesus and his disciples The journey moves from northern Galilee to Jerusalem and focuses on two themes the identity of Jesus Christology and

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To celebrate the feast of St Aloysius Gonzaga S J 1568-1591 the liturgy offers the Eucharistic community the choice of three Gospel readings Matthew 6 7-15 Mark 10 23-31 and John 1 35-40 The first reading underlines the kind of prayer that pleases God for content the Our Father for ma

The American political drama West Wing has been a huge hit on television in recent seasons Well-scripted cleverly cast and finely acted it dramatizes events around the most powerful office in the world This is one drama series that does not need to invent stories With former White House insid

Daniel Harrington s commentary on the Birth of St John the Baptist can be found here The feast did not fall on a Sunday in 2004 so there is no commentary from Dianne Bergant But you can read John H Donahue s column from 2001 here