“All things are vanity!” That’s what today’s first reading from Ecclesiastes tells us. And in this context it means futility. Not a very comforting thought for those of us who work to support their families. We like to think that…
Why should we pray? That’s a question children ask their parents all the time—and one we often ask ourselves when our faith flags during tough times. But a more important question is “How should we pray?” The answer to how…
There aren’t too many comical passages in the Bible, but two of today’s readings qualify in my book. The first reading from Genesis and the gospel passage from Luke can be pretty funny if you picture what’s going on in…
The faith of many religious people is strengthened in the realization that their life is a journey toward the Kingdom of God. A journey can include many stops and byways that teach us things along the way. At least one…
If your kids sometimes expect to be rewarded for doing what they’re supposed to do, today’s readings are for them. Make sure they pay attention at today’s mass, or bring their attention to these readings afterwards—maybe after dinner, when they…
Not much that comes out of Hollywood is worth remembering, but every once in a while The Movies get something right. One of those moments is a great summary of today’s readings. If you’ve never seen “City Slickers” with Jack…
Today’s three readings offer a map to God’s kingdom. Our only challenge is finding a vehicle to take us there. The jalopies most of us are driving now need work and won’t take us all the way without constant maintenance.…
Where would our faith be without rule breakers and sinners? Today’s readings answer that question. Our first reading shows David to be the ultimate sinner. Murder, adultery, lust, greed…he had all the qualifications for a super villain. Yet, according to…
This weekend the Brothers in Christ were asked to pray for the life of an ailing seven-year-old girl. Some might ask what good that does. We pray for many sick people and they often die anyway. When people do survive…
The people of Jesus’ time were always hungry, both for physical and spiritual food. At key times in the gospels Jesus was their source for both—and these were miraculous times. In today’s gospel we have the classic example of the…