It is likely that most of us, if not all of us, have traveled across country in an automobile. If we are the driver, we might take the time to study a map. We might download directions from the Internet. If we travel a lot, we might invest in a GPS app for our mobile […]

With Christmas over, gift-wrap recycled, and holiday cookies nearly gone, we are given the opportunity to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. The opportunity lends itself to consider family life in the many and various ways in which we experience it.  Speaking for myself, I belong to three families—my birth family, my Dominican family, and […]

As Christmas Day approaches the stories surrounding the birth of Jesus as well as the nativity story itself are depicted in creche scenes, television programs, school plays, Christmas cards, sacred hymns, and popular songs. But there is much, much more to the stories of Christmas than what immediately meets our eyes and ears. In the […]

I think all of us have watched a child scoot or crawl along the floor to reach an object that has attracted his or her attention. If it is safe, we may cheer the child on and move the object closer. If it is unsafe, we may move the child away or place the object […]

I think most of us are familiar with the phrase “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” It was first used by Aristotle in his written work Metaphysics. Down through history, it is likely that other people used the same phrase with their work. A structural engineer may use the phrase to […]

Most of us remember learning about metaphors in our fifth grade English class. We learned that the use of metaphors is only meaningful when the metaphor comes from a common knowledge and the shared experiences of people. So maybe for us the metaphor Christ the King should be changed. Perhaps we should say, “Christ the […]

In his book, The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell writes this about our eating habits. “None of us would be here if we weren’t forever eating. What you eat is always something that just a moment before was alive. This is the sacramental mystery of food and eating, which doesn’t often come to our minds when we […]

In today’s gospel we hear Jesus responding to a question asked by a scribe. The passage does not indicate whether the scribe is a Pharisee or a Sadducee. But in the passage before this one, a Sadducee scribe asks Jesus a question about the resurrection in which the Sadducees did not believe. You know the […]

In today’s gospel reading, two things are seen as wealth—material possessions and religious-moral identity. I call it religious-moral identity because for Jewish people, at the time of Jesus, there was no distinction between material possessions, cultural practices, and religious practices. They were combined together into one religious-moral self.  In other words, this is who I […]

I believe that the scripture readings we hear this Sunday can be used as a self-guided reflection on who we are and who we might become as human beings. In the reading from the Book of Genesis, God first creates a human being and then begins to create other creatures. God asks the human being […]

ABUNDANT THANKS to Mary Leibl, Linda Rivera, and Karen Thompson who co-directed the Church of St. Matthew Fall Festival. BOUNTIFUL THANKS to the members of the Planning Committee who planned and organized the booths.  IMMENSE THANKS to all the generous volunteers who assisted where and whenever needed.  PROFUSE THANKS to the members of the Rosary Society and the Men’s […]

Today’s second reading from the letter of James describes two kinds of wisdom—heavenly wisdom from above and earthly wisdom from below. The author of the letter points out some important characteristics of heavenly wisdom.  Wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy, and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. At the same […]

“Adages,” those brief phrases that express wisdom about the reality we all live with, are a part of everyone’s lives. BE PREPARED is the phrase I repeated, shared, and shouted with friends who were working on projects to earn our scout badges. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECTis the phrase that encouraged me to spend long hours with Latin […]

In this weekend’s Gospel we hear about the Pharisees and in fact all Jews scrupulously washing their hands and asking Jesus why his disciples did not do the same. For the Pharisees there were definite and rigid rules for washing hands before every meal and between each course of a meal. First, the hands had […]

Several years ago, when I attended an orientation for students who were beginning their doctoral studies, the director of graduate studies recommended a book written by William Bridges called Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes(Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., Reading, MA: 1980).  Because everyone at the orientation was transitioning from lives committed to God, family, work, and […]

In today’s Gospel, Jesus returns home and teaches in the synagogue. His neighbors and friends knew him as the son of Mary and had heard about his teachings and the miracles he had performed. They understood the truth of Jesus’ words and they acknowledged what he had done. But there were those who had never left […]

Read a newspaper, watch the news on television, or listen to a talk show on your car radio and you will hear stories about young people.  Some of the stories describe pre-teens and teens who have volunteered their time, broadened their education, and responded to an emergency situation. Other stories describe pre-teens and teens who […]

The following is an edited version of a homily for the “Birth of John the Baptist” by Fr. David Sanders, OP who teaches scripture at Blackfriars, Oxford.  “Why is there all this fuss about John the Baptist? Why is he so important that the celebration of his birth overrides the ordinary Sunday Mass? We are told […]

When I made profession in the Order of Preachers back in 1992, I was fortunate to have a classmate in the novitiate who was a classical guitarist and song writer. With his training in music, Marty Gleeson, OP joined with two other Dominican friars to write and perform religious songs. One of the songs Marty […]

June 3, 2018 – Body and Blood of Christ By Ted Wolgamot In 1594, an Italian Renaissance artist named Tintoretto completed a masterpiece named “The Last Supper.” One of the many remarkable qualities of this painting is that it does not present this most memorable scene as many others have typically depicted it. It does […]

I have come to believe that the Feast of the Holy Trinity is one of the most important celebrations in our church year. In a world where we are encouraged to begin new relationships, struggle with existing relationships, warned against harmful relationships, expected to understand our relationships, and have relationships on social networks like Facebook […]

Having been born and raised in Colorado, one of the many things I learned while growing up was the names and locations of the fifty-eight mountain peaks that tower above fourteen thousand feet.  I also learned to have a deep reverence, respect, and caution when climbing anyone of the “fourteeners” where a person often starts […]

One of my favorite Peanut cartoons shows Lucy philosophizing with Charlie Brown. Lucy says, “Charlie Brown, life is like deck chairs on an ocean liner. Some people take their deck chair; face it towards the back of the ship, and think of the home they left, the past, and everything behind them. Others turn their […]

Long before there was radar and satellite navigation, the captain of a huge battleship was patrolling the Canadian coastline. His massive ship was moving rapidly through a thick fog. Suddenly, directly in front of him, he saw lights.  The captain got on the ship’s radio to the other party and demanded, “You must change direction […]

As we look beyond the potholes in our asphalt roads, the snow piled along our concrete sidewalks, the snow shovels quietly resting on our front porches, and adjust to daylight savings time, we can hope for signs of new life and new growth that come with spring. Soon grass seed will be spread between houses […]

During our lives all of us experience some kind of temporary darkness.  As infants, our parents likely pulled a blanket over our heads to protect us from the wind and cold. During winter blizzards in Minnesota, it is not uncommon for neighborhoods and rural homes to be plunged into darkness for a moment, for hours, […]

On the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sundays of Lent Catholic parishes who are preparing adults and children to be baptized at the Easter Vigil celebrate what are called the “Scrutinies.” These rites are celebrated at liturgies where the Elect, those adults and children who are preparing for Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation through the Rite of […]

This year Lent began on Valentine’s Day which magnifies in a very special way the shape and character of our Christian life.  The six weeks of the Lenten journey moves us by stages more deeply into the mystery of God’s love through the dying and rising of Jesus Christ. Christ’s dying and rising, what we […]