You Can Take That to the Bank: Reflection for Communion Service (Friday, 11th Week Ordinary Time, 6-21-24)[Gospel: Mt. 6:19-23]
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Last month on June 21 I had the privilege of utilizing my full instituted acolyte duties to lead a communion service for the people at my seminarian summer assignment parish of St. Edward Catholic Church here in Nashville in the absence of a priest or deacon for Friday in the 11th Week of Ordinary Time…
Ascension: The Echo of Easter Light in the Darkness
The following meditation is based off the readings for the Solemnity of the Ascension (Year B 2024). Meditation continues below Scripture selections: In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he…
“Let Them Have Dominion”: The Great Work of St. Joseph and Men – Reflection on Genesis 1:26-2:3 and St. Joseph the Worker
The following is the translation in English of a talk I originally gave in Spanish for the meeting of a parish men’s group named Pescadores de Hombres [“Fishers of Men”] on the occasion of the Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1, 2024. God said:“Let us make man in our image, after our…
Don’t Go Fishing Just Yet: Easter Reflection on The Risen Jesus’s Appearance to His Disciples at the Sea of Tiberias in John 21:1-14
Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way. Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We also will come…
The Names God Takes Away: Reflection on God Changing Abram’s Name to Abraham in Gen. 17:3-9
When Abram prostrated himself, God spoke to him: “My covenant with you is this: you are to become the father of a host of nations. No longer shall you be called Abram; your name shall be Abraham, for I am making you the father of a host of nations. I will render you exceedingly fertile;…
Male and Female, Adam and Eve – A Brief Meditation
As Scripture affirms, God created male and female, and within this creation He imbued male and female not only with a fundamental equality rooted in the equal sharing of His image but also with real and true distinctions and beautiful differences. In God’s pristine creation before the Fall there was no confusion in the fundamental…
Reflection: Love As The Basis For All Church Teaching
May I suggest the following lens to look at the teachings of the Church especially to those who struggle with them sometimes. All of the Church’s teachings – from the main dogmatic theological points regarding revelation to the hot-button topics – are really all about one core thing: love. Love for God who is Love…
God Bought Us on A Black Friday
For the world, today is Black Friday. But have you ever thought about how God bought US on another “Black Friday”? Unlike the deals we might have found today (and ain’t nothing wrong with a little deal, now) we did not come cheap. The price of His only Son was a hefty debt to pay.…
Want to see God? Come to a Catholic church: Implications of the Eucharistic belief
A thought during Mass today: One of the most amazing things about being Catholic are implications of our Eucharistic faith regarding Jesus. We believe that the very SAME Jesus who lived and walked 2000 years ago is literally in our churches in the Eucharist. The Jesus who did miracles, forgave sins, preached to multitudes, suffered,…
A note on God’s love for you
I’ve shared this across my social media. During some prayerful reflection today this occurred to me that I want to share: There is not a single part of God’s infinite, totally transcendent, ever-huge, unsurpassable, awe-provoking, omnipresent, all-powerful (…and on) nature that doesn’t love you. And we are dust. In other words: God loves you with…