FatherLiam

“If you had known the things that make for peace.”  So weeps Jesus as looks out over Jerusalem, right before he enters the city for Passover—that is, right before what we now call “the Triumphal Entry.”  Two thousand years later, we weep as we seek to know “the things that make for peace.” And yet the truth is that Jesus, as he uttered … Read more

What is your image of God? How do you picture God, think of God, “see” God?  The clearest, most complete and perfect image of God is given to us by Jesus is his Parable of the Prodigal Son. We have heard this story so many times and we all love it, but after hearing it so … Read more

Dear Friends, So, what is going on with Abraham and God in today’s first reading? Heifers and she-goats and rams slaughtered, split in two and placed “each half opposite the other” on the ground? What gives? While this scene seems strange to us, in Abraham’s day it was the formal ritual used when two parties were … Read more

So, are you like Jesus? Am I? How much? How little? Jesus says it clearly: “No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher.”  So, if we are, in fact, disciples of Jesus, we become imitators of Jesus; we become just like our teacher. It really is … Read more

Are you on the mark? Is your life headed in the right direction? Or are you missing the point? Is your life headed nowhere, or worse yet, in the wrong direction? In other words, are you among the “blessed,” or are you among the “woe to yous”? In today’s gospel we hear Luke’s version of … Read more

Dear Friends, How do we find the wisdom to envision a new world and the courage to fight for it? How do we survive seemingly apocalyptic times? In a world on fire, how do we embrace love and joy? Great questions! Questions that people of every age have asked and tried to answer to make … Read more

After visiting Jesus, the magi “departed for their country by another way.” It is no coincidence that at the time Matthew wrote these words in his gospel story, those who chose to be disciples of Jesus were called “followers of the way.”  They weren’t yet called Christians; they had no list of dogmas and doctrines to … Read more

That, the name of today’s Solemnity as we come to the final week of the Liturgical Year, certainly sounds as triumphant as it can get. We are proclaiming that Jesus was, is and always will be the Ultimate Ruler of All—all people, all creation, all planets, all galaxies—the entire Cosmos. Jesus Christ, we profess, is … Read more

‘Well, of course I am’, many of us would respond. I’m baptized. I go to church. I give in the collection. I try not to sin.   That’s all good. (And thank you for your contribution!)   But the question remains: Am I a disciple of Jesus? A student, a learner, a follower? You see, at the end of the gospel passage … Read more

Every time the Sunday Scriptures deal with the topic of marriage, I automatically recall one of my favorite passages from Greg Boyle’s book Tattoos on the Heart. Greg writes about a trip he took with his mother to the hospital to visit his dad. Greg’s mom has brought along a pillow in a flowery case for … Read more

I’m sitting here in my apartment in Assisi reading the Scriptures for this coming Sunday. As I read James explaining that all our jealousies and selfish ambitions and conflicts and wars come from our out-of-order passions. We all know that’s true. And election season makes it abundantly clear. Crazed unruly passions seem to dominate. It’s … Read more

Uh oh. In today’s gospel, Jesus says his followers must “Take up their cross.” These words always make me nervous—not because they are challenging but because of how often they have been misused to guide people into ways of thinking and acting that have nothing to do with the message of Jesus. Telling someone their cancer is … Read more

Now there’s a word. It’s the Greek word Jesus uses in Mark’s gospel when healing the deaf man. It means be opened! Jesus heals the deaf man. He liberates him from his impediment so that he can hear clearly and so act according to what he hears. In doing so, Jesus shows what God desires for … Read more

So, what are the “things that come out from within you”? That’s what Jesus asks this week in Mark’s gospel. As the religious leaders challenge Jesus and his followers for not following the rules, Jesus challenges the self-proclaimed “religious” folk to look within. Following the rules can be ok, Jesus teaches, but it can also … Read more

If we take Eternity to mean not Infinite Temporal Duration but timelessness, then Eternal Life belongs to those who live in the Present.”   Ludwig Wittgenstein Ah, to live in the Present!  It seems we’re always running around doing lots of things, but never really present in the moment. We get things done, mark them off our list, and … Read more

“The celebration of the Eucharist is incomplete so long as there is hunger in our world.” So said the holy and prophetic Pedro Arrupe, SJ way back in 1976 at the Eucharistic Congress held right here in Philadelphia. His words still stand as a powerful reminder of the social dimension of the Gospel. “We cannot … Read more

Ok, I’m dating myself with lyrics to a song from the Seventies, but that Five Man Electrical Band hit always comes to mind when I talk about John’s Gospel. You see, John is often referred to as the Gospel of Signs. Instead of using the word “miracle,” John speaks of “signs” that Jesus performed. These … Read more