27.9 F
Saint Paul
Friday, March 29, 2024

HomeFocus on FaithSunday Scriptures

Sunday Scriptures

Experiencing the truly risen Jesus

Someone once asked me, “Father, can I really see God?” And I responded wholeheartedly, “Yes!” She still seemed skeptical, which her next question proved: “But how?” How, indeed, can we see God?

The Passion: Joy, sorrow, hope

The readings of Palm Sunday have always broken my heart. Before Mass, we read St. Mark’s short account of Jesus entering Jerusalem. The pilgrims in front of and behind Christ are joyfully waving palms, lining the street with their cloaks, welcoming him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! … Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Then things take a turn for the worse. In Mass, during the Liturgy of the Word, at the Gospel, we read the full and tragic betrayal, passion and death of Jesus Christ. What a roller coaster of emotions!

Remembering and reliving the story

One of my favorite movies from the past decade is Disney Pixar’s “Inside Out,” which was partially set in Minnesota. In clever and understandable ways, the animated movie tackled some serious anthropological topics (i.e. studying the human person) such as temperaments, emotions, adolescent maturation and memories.

Placing God above all things

About a month ago, a brother priest and I were discussing the importance of loving God first and foremost in life. Naturally, there are many people that we love and cherish with intense feeling, and we all have various hobbies or interests that command a powerful devotion.

What the leper teaches us

Do you remember what it’s like to shake someone’s hand or even give a high-five? Do you remember what it’s like to hug and kiss those you love? We all feel that pain of not being touched.

Our vocation is love

Many years ago, before my ordination, I spoke with a priest in confession about some trouble I was having in a relationship. The priest listened calmly. Once I finished, he looked up and said in his typical witty fashion, “Sometimes, it’s nice just to go home and look at the pictures on the wall.” He always had a way of making me laugh.

Come and see

In the Gospel of John there are certain questions that jump off the page, significant beyond their immediate context. In the Gospel for the second Sunday of Ordinary Time (Jn 1:35-42) we have one such question. It is, in fact, Jesus’ first words in that Gospel account: “What are you looking for?”

Missionaries to a darkened world

By means of baptism, the Christian becomes a dwelling place of God, a temple of the most Holy Trinity.
12,743FansLike
1,478FollowersFollow
6,479FollowersFollow
35,922FollowersFollow
583SubscribersSubscribe
Trending
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -