Today or Tomorrow? Sometimes when we get home from work we are so tired that we don’t feel like doing anything at all, yet there is so much to do around the house. We might find ourselves uttering the phrase, "I’ll do it tomorrow." And as the days go by, we keep repeating, "Tomorrow, I’ll do it tomorrow.” Perhaps this [...]
Dear brothers and sisters, today’s readings remind us that we have the freedom to say “Yes” or “No” to God, but our freedom also makes us responsible for our choices. Sometimes we say “No” to God through our sins, selfishness, or by choosing our own way. Yet God never stops calling us back. He is a merciful Father who gives [...]
Are You Envious Because I am Generous? As a convert, I was mostly on board with God’s generosity in today’s parable of the laborers. After all, those who labored in the vineyard since early morning made my afternoon conversion possible. Yet, I wondered about the last-minute arrivals, especially those who had been hostile to the laborers. Maybe they should receive [...]
Dear brothers and sisters, today’s Gospel presents us with the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. At first, the story may seem strange and even unfair. Some workers labor all day under the heat of the sun, while others come only at the last hour, yet everyone receives the same wage. From a human point of view, we may [...]
We All Receive More Than We Deserve The parable of the landowner and the laborers hired to work in his vineyard is, on one level, about abundance. The landowner had a large enough vineyard that he needed to hire laborers repeatedly throughout the day to get the work done. As evening approached and the men lined up for their pay, [...]
Dear brothers and sisters, Today the Word of God speaks to us about one of the most difficult but most important aspects of Christian life: forgiveness. We all know how difficult it can be to forgive someone who has hurt us, disappointed us, or offended us. Yet Jesus makes forgiveness an essential part of following Him. In the Gospel, Peter [...]
Forgive From the Heart I’m not sure what I was up to when I was a kid but I recall having frequent cuts and scrapes that required my body to produce scabs. My mom told me not to pick at them to avoid scars but to my childhood mind, scars were irrelevant. More interesting were these scratchy patches on my [...]
Today’s readings invite us to reflect on responsibility, correction, forgiveness, and commitment within our Christian community. Because of our human weakness and sinfulness, we all need God’s mercy and forgiveness. We turn with confidence to God, our loving Father, knowing that just as we are bound to Him in love, we are also bound to one another. Our faith is [...]
Take Up Your Cross Dear Jesus, in this season, as in many before, I have felt so distant from You. My cross can feel overbearing. While I should be grateful for my family, I am most commonly the opposite. I feel starved for attention and respite, bitter at the need to be constantly humble. I react with anger and impatience [...]
The readings today invite us to reflect on faithfulness. Faithfulness means remaining true to God, to our commitments, and to our vocation, especially when it becomes difficult. It is easy to be faithful when everything is going well; the real test comes when following God requires sacrifice. In the first reading, Jeremiah discovers the cost of being faithful to his [...]