CHARITY ISAIAH 58:9–14; PSALM 86; LUKE 5:27–32 The first reading says, “If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.” This statement simply implies charity. Charity is one of the basic themes of the […]

FASTING Isaiah 58:1–9; Psalm 51; Matthew 9:14–15 Fasting was the subject of debate between the disciples of John and Jesus. John’s disciples asked Jesus, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” Fasting is not a competition. It is a form of penance, self-control, and inner purification. Fast, not […]

CHOOSE  LIFE DEUTERONOMY 30:15-20; PSALM 1; LUKE 9:22-25 See, “I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.” Moses asked the people to make a choice between life and death. If they obey God’s commandments, they will live, but if they don’t, they will certainly be destroyed. Disobedience results in destruction, but obedience […]

LENT AND RAMADAN  Lent and Ramadan are both sacred seasons of spiritual discipline, but they belong to different faith traditions, theologies and are practiced in distinct ways. What are they? Lent is observed by Christians (Catholics, Lutheran, Methodist etc) and it usually takes 40 days; with the exemption of Sundays. It is a period of […]

Ash Wednesday   Joel 2:12–18; Psalm 50; 2 Corinthians 5:20–6:2; Matthew 6:1-6, 16–18 Ash Wednesday is the day that marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that prepares Christians for Easter. On this day, ashes made from blessed palm branches are placed on our foreheads in the shape of a […]

Test and Temptation James 1:12-18; Psalm 94; Mark 8:14-21 James makes a crucial distinction between test and temptation. He says; “Temptation does not come from God; it arises when a person is lured and trapped by disordered desires. When such desire is entertained, it conceives sin, and when sin is allowed to mature, it leads […]

Faith Without Signs James 1:1-11, Psalm 118:67-68,71; Mark 8:11-13 My brothers, you will always have your trials but, when they come, try to treat them as a happy privilege; you understand that your faith is only put to the test to make you patient, but patience too is to have its practical results so that […]

The Crowd, the Saints and Love  1 Kings 12:26-32, 13:33-34; Psalm 106; Mark 8:1-10 The Gospel presents us with the feeding of the four thousand people. This miraculous feeding of the crowds has not stopped. Jesus feeds us daily with his word and the Eucharist. This food gives us strength to journey through this world […]

Care for the disabled 1 Kings 11:29-32, 12:19; Psalm 80; Mark 7:31-37 The Gospel says, “They brought him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech, and they asked him to lay his hand on him.” Those who brought the deaf and dumb man to Jesus represent those who truly care for people […]

Children and Dogs 1 Kings 11:4–13; Psalm 106; Mark 7:24–30 In today’s Gospel, Jesus uses the striking metaphor of “children and dogs”. In the language of the time, children represented the Jews, heirs of the covenant, while dogs referred to the Gentiles, those outside the promise. It is a hard image, but meant to reveal […]