Scripture Reflections for Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

"Most Christians, most preachers, who reflect on this Chapter reflect on the Holy Eucharist. They are right; John wants us to do so. All the same, we might ask why John doesn’t tell us plainly about the Eucharist in his account of the Last Supper. Perhaps it’s because he was writing for a non-Christian audience – he tells us towards the end that he wants his readers to come to faith in Jesus. Maybe he..."

Fr. Richard Conrad. "Looking Harder." Torch. August 17, 2021

"Several weeks ago after giving a lecture at a religious conference, the first question from the audience was this one: How can you continue to stay in a church that played such a pivotal part in setting up and maintaining residential schools for the indigenous people of Canada? How can you stay in a church that did that?"

Ron Rolheiser, OMI. "Why Stay In the Church." RONROLHEISER,OMI. July 12, 2021

"Today finally brings us to the end of this long chapter of St John's Gospel, and Jesus's sermon on himself as the bread of life. And today we are invited to decide once again on our own responses to the extraordinary claims Christ makes for himself, and to the extraordinary language in which he expresses himself."

Fr. Richard Joseph Ounsworth. "Hard Sayings." Torch. August 23, 2009

"For five weeks we have been reading the long discourse on the bread of life and reflecting on the Eucharist. But in today's gospel, Jesus talks about the mystery of faith. Up to this point Jesus has been addressing crowds who followed him because they wanted more bread. Their motivation is understandable. It is estimated that barley and other grain crops provided about two thirds of the diet of ordinary people. To be short of..."

Fr. Dermot Morrin. "Something Never Heard Before." Torch. August 27, 2006

"Today’s liturgy of the word brings us to the threshold of our Christian faith where we are expected to make fundamental choice in our discipleship. It brings us to the consciousness of the fact that to follow God entails a convincing and courageous life-changing ‘yes’. By saying yes to him, we renew the covenant we have already sealed with him at the dawn of our baptism. This decision will never be easy. It is a..."

Father Lawrence Obilor. "Only You Lord." A Catholic Moment. August 22, 2021

"There can’t be many friars who have stood for public office. It was probably one of the most surreal experiences of my life when I ran as a candidate for the UK Parliament. I stood on a platform of encouraging growth in the local economy, better housing and a more sustainable national infrastructure. I even had my five minutes of fame with a live television interview. Party politics is of course a bit of a..."

Fr. Luke Doherty. "Taking the Higher Ground." Torch. August 22, 2018

"Once in my life I have abseiled. I did it from the parapet of a 3-storey building, which is no big deal; but as I was climbing over the parapet I had a horrible feeling that I wouldn’t be able to do it, and I wanted to go back indoors and make some urgent phone-calls I’d suddenly remembered about (I didn’t have a mobile phone at the time). But fortunately I didn’t go back: I..."

Fr. Colin Carr. "The Comfort of Religion?." Torch. August 18, 2015

"In our lives today we have many needs, and although our needs may change over time, there will always be, among other things, the basic necessities of food and clothing. Beyond that, different people have different priorities, and varied ways of achieving what they want."

Fr. Rudolf Loewenstein. "Choose whom you wish to serve." Torch. August 24, 2003