I want to begin today by noting that in Jesus’ time among us a talent was a huge amount of money. The coin denominated as a talent was very valuable indeed. For us today we think of talents not as money but as special personal gifts we may have. We...
In our first reading from the book of Wisdom God invites Solomon to ask for any gift he wants – and he asks for wisdom! – Wisdom to run his kingdom. Would you have thought of asking for something like that? Lord, I need good looks, I want to be...
I want to begin with 3 stories that give background to our readings today. In the 4th Chapter of the Book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that he doesn’t understand. He asks Daniel to interpret it for him. Daniel tells him that in the dream, King Nebuchadnezzar is...
Today’s Holy Day, the Feast of All Saints, raises up before our eyes not just the famous canonized saints recognized in the Church’s yearly calendar, but all those other holy ones whose lives were dedicated to God and the establishment of His Kingdom here on earth. And who are among...
There are some people for whom we simply cannot feel any love at all, or so we tell ourselves. Too much resentment, too much distrust… some people are just “too much” for us. Take, for instance, a relative who is arrogant, self-centered, opinionated, and who is totally given over to...
The Gospel this week continues the direction of the previous weeks’ reading of St. Matthew’s account of our Lord’s final weeks in Jerusalem. The setting for his parables and teaching has been the Temple, where he has astonished everyone by teaching with authority. He has so frustrated the Pharisees that...