This is my last posting The Gospel parable likens the kingdom of God to a wedding banquet, as the Scriptures so often do. The king has sent out the first invitations and now, as was the custom, sends the second invitation. We heard what those who were invited did, which prompted the king to send […]
What shall we take away from today’s epistle reading? Let’s focus on verses 13 and 14, “Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” St. Paul’s admonition to the Corinthians is equally applicable to us today. We must be vigilant so that our […]
In Jesus’ time people thought that if a person were living a proper moral life then God would bless them with material prosperity. This is why the apostles asked, “Who then can be saved?” when Jesus said how difficult it is for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus’s answer to […]
Who is the person whom you have not and cannot forgive? Who is the person whom you have forgiven, but whose offense against you will never forget? Jesus concludes the parable we have just heard by saying, “And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother and […]
In today’s Gospel text the nine apostles are perplexed in not being able to exorcize the devil who took possession of the young man. Today we would probably recognize the boy’s malady as epilepsy. In Jesus’ time it was thought to be caused by phases of the moon, thus the use of the word, lunatic. […]
First, let me remind you of a little geography. The Sea of Galilee is the largest freshwater lake in Israel. It has an average depth of 84 feet. The part, about 3 miles out, where the apostles were is about 30 feet deep. By comparison, Lake Erie is the tenth largest lake in the world. […]
The language of this event in Jesus’ life connects the multiplication of the loaves and fishes with the Last Supper. St. Matthew, at both events, writes that Jesus “took the bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to his disciples.” While these actions were not unusual for any Jewish meal, just as we say […]
St. Paul urges us in today’s Epistle reading, “We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.” He extends this to our neighbors, “Let each of us please our neighbor…” Then he prays,“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony […]
In today’s account of the healing of the paralytic, Jesus responds to the faith of the people by forgiving the man’s sins and then healing him of his paralysis. It is both their faith and action that bring Jesus’ response. In our own lives we must accompany our faith by actions. In the letter of […]
You’ve just heard the account of the events regarding the birth of St. John the Baptist. St. Luke’s stirring account parallels in many ways the account of the conception and birth of Jesus. St. Luke connects St. John’s narrative with events in Palestinian history; he casts the Jesus account in the light of events of […]
St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Parish 