The world’s best leaders came to that role reluctantly. That truism is reflected not only in today’s readings but throughout history. In today’s second reading from Hebrews, Paul notes that God appoints every high priest to act on the people’s…
All politicians are local. They’re inescapable, and lobbying to take an even loftier position in our lives. That must have been how Jesus felt in today’s gospel when James and John asked for the highest positions in his cabinet. But Jesus was suspicious…
I’ve always identified with that poor/rich guy in today’s gospel who asked Jesus how he could inherit eternal life. I don’t relate to his wealth, really, but to his desire for some assurance of salvation. When Jesus quotes him the price, he…
Our little boy is four years old and quite a little man So we spell out the words we don’t want him to understand Like T-O-Y or maybe S-U-R-P-R-I-S-E; But the words we’re hiding from him now Tear the heart…
If Jesus would have been as hungry for power for power’s sake as his disciples seemed to be in last week’s gospel reading, he could have been the most notorious gangster of all time. Gangs feed off the energy of…
Today I attended mass at St. Malachi, the parish of my business mentor, Bernie Knill. He’s the man to whom I owe my writing career. He passed away two years ago, but his family has been nice enough to invite…
Today’s readings reminded me how liberating innocence is. You know how you go to confession weighed down by the guilt of a litany of sins, and you leave that confessional like a prisoner leaves jail once he’s served his time?…
We can’t escape from politics these days. The commercials are full of candidates spitting in each other’s eyes and performing self-proclaimed miracles. Today’s readings reminded me of the contrast between human and divine politics. As our King, Jesus is a…
Today’s readings made me think of how sophisticated we humans are. That’s not meant to be a compliment. Most of us use the term “sophisticated” with a positive connotation. But if you look the term up in the dictionary it…
I always liked Shania Twain, although I’ve never been that much of a country music fan. But today’s readings had all the makings of a classic country western tune, and it happened to be one written by Shania Twain: “Dance…