The lamb and the Lamb
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. –Mt. 10, 29 To understand suffering, is to understand life. A radical statement – perhaps the more so,...
Tagged: Suffering
The Evolution of the Temple
Homily for the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome In the first reading, Ezekiel has a vision of the temple of Jerusalem, where water was flowing from below the threshold toward the east, from the right...
The Ongoing Invisibility of Victims
Reading the news every morning is nothing short of chilling. Not only because of the sheer number of stories about violence or war around the world, but because the existential burden of the victims—their suffering, their despair, their muffled cries...
And deliver us from evil
Jean de Florette is my favorite film of all time. Two films really, with its powerful sequel Manon des Sources where Jean’s daughter seeks revenge on the villagers who drove the ‘outsider’ to his early death by depriving his farm...
A Week of Suffering and Resurrection for Latin America
Latin America lives out its Holy Week immersed in violence, tension, and hope. This is a mysterious time. In the depths of Latin American communities, Holy Week is a ritual and symbolic exercise where Catholic liturgy and popular tradition blend...
A Meditation on Christ’s Agony, Part II
For Part I, link here. My soul is sorrowful, even to death. To attribute Christ’s desolation to anticipatory fear before his betrayal, condemnation and crucifixion is profoundly inadequate (although St. John of the Cross teaches that the more spiritual an...
The Testament of Pope Francis
The preaching of St. Peter Julian Eymard on the Institution of the Eucharist has deeply left its mark on me. I have returned to one particular homily many, many times through the years, even copying it out in my own...
The Crèche
Last night, as I was walking on the Green in my home city, I stopped by the crèche – nestled on the rough equivalent of half a parking space ceded by the city, installed (and funded) by my hometown multinational men’s...
He had to become less for us to become more
Reflection for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time I’d like to focus on one point from this gospel reading, specifically the incident involving the woman who for twelve years was afflicted with hemorrhages: “If I but touch his clothes, I...
God, Humanity, Suffering: A New Paradigm
A reflection on the readings of September 3, 2021 — the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. When available, the audio of this homily will be available here. I could be wrong, but I think one of the things we might...
Suffering: A Painful Privilege
A reflection on the Readings of Sunday, April 30, 2023 — The Fourth Sunday of Easter. Click here for the audio version. There are a few things that are common to all of humanity. We all feel hunger, for example....
The Sufferings of Jesus Were Many
On Saturday, April 1, Pope Francis was discharged from Gemelli University Hospital after recovering from bronchitis. Then, on Sunday, he gave a beautiful homily on Palm Sunday and the suffering of Jesus. Pope Francis said there were three types of...
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