“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”  Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” (Mt. 22:36-40) In English we use the word “love” in a lot of ways.  We might use it to describe our favorite restaurant, “I love La Petite Grocery.”  We might use it to describe our favorite tech device, “I love my iPhone.”  Or we might use it to describe bigger things, like “I love New Orleans.”  And in all of these usages, it’s used primarily as a superlative of the word “like.” When it comes to people, the usage of the word … [Read more...]

“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”  Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” (Mt. 22:36-40) In English we use the word “love” in a lot of ways.  We might use it to describe our favorite restaurant, “I love La Petite Grocery.”  We might use it to describe our favorite tech device, “I love my iPhone.”  Or we might use it to describe bigger things, like “I love New Orleans.”  And in all of these usages, it’s used primarily as a superlative of the word “like.” When it comes to people, the usage of the word … [Read more...]

“On this mountain the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.” (Is. 25:6)  It’s interesting how many times Sacred Scriptures describe Heaven in terms of food and drink.  The “promised land” was a place flowing with “milk and honey.”  Alternatively, Isaiah describes a “mountain” with “rich food and pure, choice wines.”  For people living in an arid place, the idea of abundant food and drink was very appealing, especially in times of famine. But Jesus takes the analogy even further by describing a wedding banquet, something that was by far the most joyous occasions in the life of a Jew. If you think today’s wedding receptions are “over-the-top,” think again.  Jewish weddings were marked by an eight day … [Read more...]

Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?” (Mt. 21:42) In the Gospel this Sunday, Jesus quotes part of Psalm 118 about the stone rejected by the builder becoming the cornerstone. This passage was understood even by the early Church as a prophecy of His Resurrection from the dead.  But – as I learned on a trip to the Holy Land a number of years ago – there’s another interesting, more literal meaning to the passage.  The Temple in Jerusalem is built using huge stones that were quarried from an area close to the city.  Some of these stones are as big as school buses and can still be seen in the “wailing wall.”  Once the temple was done, the … [Read more...]

“Thus says the LORD: You say, ‘The LORD's way is not fair!’  Hear now, house of Israel:  Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?” (Ez. 18:25) “That’s not fair!”  I can’t even imagine how many times I heard that growing up.  I grew up in a house with three sisters and a brother.  And one thing about us, we grew up with a strong understanding of justice.  Well, justice as we defined it.  When it came time to cut the pecan pie for dessert, we would scrutinize the pieces down to the last crumb.  And if someone got a bigger piece, one of us would exclaim:  “That’s not fair!” And if one of us was invited to spend the night at our grandparents, then a scorecard was kept.  If there was not a perfect rotation so that each of us went in order, it would happen again:  … [Read more...]

“Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?  Take what is yours and go.  What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?  Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?  Are you envious because I am generous?  ‘Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.’” (Mt. 20:13-16a) A number of years ago, one of my closest friends and I were on a retreat at Manresa.  Although it was a silent retreat, several of my buddies and I used to sneak out to the levee late on the last evening of the retreat as kind of “debriefing.” I remember looking up at the starry sky and my friend saying: “Wouldn’t it be great to have a ‘simple faith,’ like a farmer.   You just got up in the morning, did the farm work, went back into the house in the evening and prayed for good … [Read more...]

Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive?  As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” (Mt. 18:21-22) When I was younger, my sisters and brother and I had a lot of little “family” jokes and expressions.  Sometimes when we’re together again, we use them to get a laugh.  In our teenage years those “inside jokes” tended to revolve around quotes from television shows or movies that we found funny.  Most of us can do imitations of Eddie Murphy’s more memorable gags or lines uttered by Bill Murray in “Caddyshack” or “Stripes.”  But one of the older expressions I remember when I was very young was “seventy-eleven.”  Of course, it’s not an actual number, but it was used by us as … [Read more...]

“Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Mt. 18:19-20) Most priests tend to pray a lot.  I’m one of them.  At my ordination to the diaconate, I promised to pray the “prayer of the Church” called the Liturgy of the Hours.  It’s made up of Morning Prayer, Daytime Prayer, Evening Prayer, the Office of Reading and Night Prayer.  Of course, I also celebrate at least one Mass daily.  I also try daily to make a Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament, recite the Rosary, do some spiritual reading and pray other devotional prayers according to the season. But I try not to “isolate” my prayer … [Read more...]

“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.  Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt. 16:16-19) When I lived in Rome, I was a guide to the excavations (the “Scavi”) under St. Peter’s Basilica.  The excavations contain a cemetery with tombs dating from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd centuries.  Although many of the tombs are pagan, as the visit gets closer to the area under the main altar of St. Peter’s, we begin to see many signs of Christian burials.  The highlight of the tour is the area immediately under the altar where the Pope celebrates Mass on most Sundays in Rome.  … [Read more...]

Jesus said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” (Mt. 15:26-27) For the first 36 years of my life, I spent a lot of time listening to homilies at Mass, rather than giving them.  Of course, I’ve heard some really amazing homilies.  But I’ve also heard some that didn’t say a lot to me.  One of my biggest pet peeves was when there was a line in the Gospel that begged to be explained and the homilist ignored it like nobody heard it. I think that the above quote from this Sunday’s Gospel is just that sort of quote.  Think about it, did Jesus just call that woman a “dog”?  That’s pretty strong language here!  And she just took … [Read more...]