Tag: Hope
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The Slave of the Slaves: Memorial of St. Peter Claver
Although I am free in regard to all, I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible. 1 Corinthians 9:19 Imagine being dragged aboard a ship, naked and chained in the darkness below deck, lying helpless for several weeks, through rough seas and stifling heat. There are […]
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Happy Shall You Be, and Favored: Wednesday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time
2 Thessalonians 3:6-10,16-18; Psalm 128:1-2; Matthew 23:27-32 When I was a child, learning came quickly and easily to me. I was the type of student who excelled without much effort. I expected that to continue when I got to graduate school but it didn’t; I quickly found myself struggling. Although the other students seemed to […]
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Love Worthy of Suffering: Friday of the 18th Week of Ordinary Time
“The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity to add a deeper meaning to his life.”
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A Mother’s Love: Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
Acts 1:12-14; John 19:25-34 If my mother said one thing to me consistently from the time I can remember, it was that she loved me. She said it all the time. When she felt the need to go beyond that, she’d say, “You will never know how much I love you until you have children […]
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Truth Beyond the World: The Feast of St. George
Revelation 21:5-7; Luke 9:23-26 When I was a boy my favorite comic book was The Amazing Spiderman. Every month I haunted the drugstore waiting for the next issue. When it finally arrived I’d read it over and over again. It was great fun imagining myself as the quirky yet powerful superhero. Although comic books date […]
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The Other Side of Suffering
Hebrews 5:7-9 From the time we first became Christians, we have learned that the standard for our behavior is not those around us but Christ. Given that, it might be easy to give up and say that we can never reach that standard of perfection. That’s true. Left to ourselves, we can’t. But as the […]
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A Fragrant Aroma: Monday of Holy Week
John 12:1-8 Awhile after my father died, my mother asked if I would help her sort out his things. As I took some clothes out of his dresser it struck me; they still smelled like him. It was as if my father was right there. It took me several minutes to regain my composure. Scientists […]
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Mother and Baby: The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10; Psalm 40:7-11; Hebrews 10:4-10; Luke 1:26-38 Everyone knows the bond between a mother and her baby is special and that there is nothing in the world quite like it. But recently I came across some research that taught me things about it I didn’t know and that gave me new perspectives on […]
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Passing By the Dragon
Every week I scour the internet and various hard- and soft-bound sources for quotes that I think might make a difference to somebody, somewhere. I know I’m not always successful but I also know for sure that at least once in a while a quote touches someone for the better. Well, today’s quote touched me. […]
Mark 10:45 