Scripture Reflections for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“The Bible is full of stories of people who seem to be weak but turn out to be fit for purpose when they are prepared to rely on God’s support.”

"We have been reading for the past several weeks from the letter of James, which is a treasure-trove of practical wisdom. James tells us this week that outer conflicts flow..."

"When I first joined Maryknoll Lay Missioners in 1999, I had a vague idea that I would be helping the poor and disadvantaged. Now, I realize that this attitude could..."

"“Who is the greatest?” This question might seem childish to us, but for those who first followed Jesus it was a very real question. We probably cannot fully grasp how..."

"We tend to side with the people who agree with us or with arguments we find congenial to our own views. We read the newspapers which complement the image we..."

“And that’s what our Christian vocation is about. It’s allowing Jesus to call us into his crazy world of death=glory, weak=strong, leader=servant, child=God.”

"Children are like plants, rocks, and flowers in this sense: they don’t know how to be something that they are not. They haven’t yet learned to lie, dissemble, pretend, or..."

"Today’s readings invite us to become great in the sight of God by doing God’s will, as Jesus did, surrendering our lives to Him by serving others. The passage from..."

"Today’s reading from the book of Wisdom is very appropriate for the times we live in when adherence to faith and to Christian values is often mocked by the secular..."

"I saw a post on social media a while back from a friend who had just finished reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. They mentioned a quote from..."

"What an intriguing combination of readings this Sunday. They combine the readings about the suffering servant, a figure for the crucified Christ, Jesus’ own prediction of His impending crucifixion, and..."

"The first reading, from the Book of Wisdom, speaks of a community of “the godless” planning to gang up on a tiresomely virtuous person who questions their standards; perhaps the..."

"Recently, a presenter on the radio was complaining about Christianity: I thought it was about gentleness and compassion, but instead all I heard was triumphalist, militant talk. He’d gone to..."

"Friends, when envy takes over our spiritual lives, we sow disorder and disintegration. The life of Jesus is about self-emptying love; it is in this gift of self that we..."

"One of the most important doctrines of the Church is the doctrine of original sin, which asserts that something it off with us. We see the effects of it everywhere,..."

"The danger of jealousy and envy is that it is as much damaging to others as it is to ourselves. When we are envious, or even ambitious for the purpose..."