Scripture

October 09, 2019

Oct. 20: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

St. Augustine, who already in the fourth century seems to have said everything worth saying, described prayer “as lifting your mind and heart to God.” The readings for this Sunday invite us to focus on the meaning of prayer.

October 09, 2019

Oct. 13: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Scriptures for this Sunday remind us how taboo leprosy was in the Bible. When reading the symptoms of leprosy described in detail in Leviticus 13, medical experts today suggest the disease was most likely a skin disease, perhaps an intense form of psoriasis, rather than Hanson’s disease or what is considered leprosy today.

September 18, 2019

Oct. 6: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Last fall when the clergy sex abuse issue roared back into the news with the release of the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s scathing report, Catholic Theological Union held a “town hall” meeting with our students, staff and faculty. The idea was to offer people a chance to express thoughts and feelings about this terrible situation in our church — even more poignant at a school preparing future priests and lay ministers.

September 18, 2019

Sept. 29: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Pope Francis is an extraordinary champion of the poor and vulnerable. In that vein, he often contrasts what he calls a “culture of indifference” with a “culture of encounter.”

September 18, 2019

Sept. 22: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Recently, at a foundation board meeting, I had the privilege of hearing a presentation by David Beckmann, president of the remarkable organization Bread for the World. The mission of Bread for the World is to reduce and even to eliminate hunger in the United States and throughout the world.

September 04, 2019

Sept. 15: 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Recently I attended the joyous anniversary celebration of Sister Rosemary Connelly, the charismatic Mercy Sister who founded the famed Misericordia home for developmentally disabled children and adults on the North Side of Chicago. More than 1,400 of her “closest friends” celebrated her 70th year as a Sister of Mercy and her 50th year at Misericordia.

September 04, 2019

Sept. 8: 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

The second reading for this Sunday is taken from the Letter to Philemon. Consisting of only 25 verses, it is the briefest of Paul’s letters but packs a punch far beyond its size.

August 21, 2019

Sept. 1: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Book of Sirach, this Sunday’s first reading, sounds a fundamental motif of the Bible: “My child, conduct your affairs with humility and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.”

August 21, 2019

Aug. 25: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Some years ago, I read Barbara Gordon’s memoir, “I’m Dancing as Fast as I Can,” a frank and gripping account of a woman who was at the top of her career as a documentary producer when her life fell apart.

August 07, 2019

Aug. 18: 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

This provocative phrase, I learned, originated with a Quaker pamphlet published in 1955 titled “Speak Truth to Power: a Quaker Search for an Alternative to Violence.” It has been adopted by many different groups since then to characterize their public stance.
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