Gospel of Luke, Chapter 17, verses 26-37Jesus continues his discussion regarding the coming of the Son of Man with His disciples.  And while that can certainly point to the Second Coming, it doesn't have to.  The Son of Man comes today and we are invited out of our routines to see and make a decision.  Here.  Today.  Now.  We also celebrate the life and death of St. Josaphat, a man who died in search of unity.

Gospel of Luke, Chapter 17, verses 20-25The Pharisees are giving Jesus a hard time, asking exactly when the Kingdom of God will come.  He replies to them that they have it all wrong.  The Kingdom of God is already among them.  And us.  But if that is true, where exactly do we see it?  Our world is torn with violence and division.  Where does God reside?  I use two pop culture references to answer the question.We also celebrate St. Martin of Tours on this Veterans day and we look at the juxtaposition and talk about struggling with life lived in the gray...

The Gospel of Luke, Chapter 17, verses 11-19On this Feast of St. Leo the Great, we hear the wonderful story of the 10 lepers who were cleansed, and only one returned to give thanks to God...a Samaritan.  So today, we focus not only on faith and trusting God to be with us on the journey; we focus not only on our salvation resting on the fact that all is gift and rendering that as gratitude; but we also focus on what is it like to be an outsider.  How does it feel not to be seen?  

The Gospel of John, Chapter 2, verses 13-22Today we celebrate the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica - in other words we celebrate the dedication of a building.  But it is much more than that.  We celebrate an event.  We celebrate a turning.  And, like most crossroads, there are blessings and perils down that road.  This gift brought similar choices.  And it has produced some of the most holy and beautiful people this world has ever known.  It has shaped lives and continents.  But it has also fallen victim of its shadow side.  And this crossroads?  It lies before us as well.  How will we choose?

Gospel of Luke, Chapter 17, verses 1-6Jesus is not afraid of a little hyperbole in today's teaching, so why stop at one example?  Instead He uses three.  Millstones, Multiple Daily Forgiveness and Mulberry Trees being recklessly uprooted and thrown into the sea.  But when we can move beyond the exaggeration, there is much for us to ponder within this beautiful passage.  

The Gospel of Luke, Chapter 16, verses 1-8Today Jesus, in speaking to his disciples (i.e. you and I), tells a parable with which I have always struggled.  Not because I don't like it.  But because I'm not certain of where Jesus is inviting us.  And so, I take it in two different directions - and invite you to take it wherever the Spirit may move within you.  Effectively, Jesus tells a parable of a dishonest steward who is commended for being shrewd.  So what are we to make of that?Well, for one thing - a This is Spinal Tap reference (the movie whose title I can't recall during the pod)!  Can't go wrong there.  Thankfully it wasn't "S*** Sandwich!"

The Gospel of Luke, Chapter 15, verses 1-10We enter into one of the greatest chapters in all of Scripture today, with Jesus giving us two parables addressed to the self-righteous in His midst.  Those to whom He is speaking have a tendency to divide the world in two - those in and those out.  The righteous and the non-righteous.  Jesus sees no such divide.  He sees people in need of God's grace.  How about us?  How do we see the world?  These parables challenge us today every bit as much as those Pharisees and scribes 2,000 years ago.

Gospel of Luke, Chapter 14, verses 25-33Although we celebrate the feast of St. Martin de Porres today, we are back in the Gospel of Luke.  And today, Jesus is challenging the large crowd following Him that to live a life of discipleship is not an easy task.  It's not for large crowds or the faint of heart.  It takes strength to put at the center that which needs to be at the center.  And all this other stuff?  We don't need it.  Renounce it.  All we need to do is be who God made us to be - and at the very center of that is God.Thanks to Karen Hennings for being a guest on the podcast today!

The Gospel of John, Chapter 6, verses 37-40Today, my friends, we celebrate another feast day - a decidedly Catholic one: The Feast of All Souls.  And so on today's pod, we talk about Purgatory.  And in talking about Purgatory, we discuss it not in a punitive way, but as the hope-filled doctrine that it is.  It is so good.  I also use an analogy from the recent past to invite us to continue forward in hope.  Today's readings are too good to miss.  

Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 5, verses 1-12aMy friends, we celebrate a Holy Day within our Church today - the Feast of All Saints.  And this day celebrates not only those canonized and held before us as examples, it celebrates all those holy women and men within our families, communities and lives.  And it reminds us of our own call to sanctity and how we are invited to live that in community.  All you holy men and women, pray for us!