Giving Thanks at the Top of Our Voices A Grateful Stranger Greeting (See Second Reading) May all of you who are chosen by God, be saved by Jesus Christ, our risen Lord, and share in his eternal glory. May Jesus our Lord be with you. R/ And also with you. Introduction by the Celebrant […]
The prophets, like Joel today, do not speak of the day of judgment as an unqualified day of vengeance and punishment; hope is there, for the prophecy is a warning to seek conversion. If God’s people change their ways, God will be merciful and restore them. In the gospel, a woman admires Jesus, and with
Judgment. It is an uneasy word. A discomforting possibility. Will it be a discomforting reality? The answer lies in us. The answer lies in our world. Our options are clear. We are facing the evil in ourselves and in the world. In a way we judge ourselves, we have to take a stand in the
To the prophet Malachi and the pious Jews, the apparently happy life of sinners was a scandal. To them, who practiced their faith, God seemed absent and not listening to their prayers. But God will hear them and do justice to each on the day of judgment. Christ tells us to persevere in our prayers.
Today the Church remembers Pope Saint John XXIII, often affectionately called the “Good Pope.” Born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli in 1881 to a humble farming family in Italy, he never lost the warmth and simplicity of his roots. His life as a priest, bishop, and nuncio was marked by pastoral charity, openness to dialogue, and a
God is a saving God. He calls all people to salvation in Jesus Christ, and he does not discriminate or segregate. His kingdom is open to all people, all races, all cultures, all languages, and all walks of life. And those who are most in need are given preference. For he is the Father of
In Jonah’s experience, God’s word is very powerful if we bring it to people in the name of God and if they are open to it. A hospitable family or person makes guests feel at home and gives them the best available. But if we are truly hospitable, we are also listening to the guest
The opening words of the Hail Mary, which are taken from the words of the angel and of Elizabeth to Mary, point out the place of Mary in the history of salvation: she is chosen by God to give Christ to the world. This is why in the rosary we meditate on the mysteries of
Jonah is not a prophetic but a humoristic, didactic book. In an ironic way it teaches a surprising universalism: God wants also pagans to be converted. Perhaps it also teaches prophets to accept their mission and not to refuse to seek the conversion even of the sinners they may despise. Like the prophet Jonah, we
Faith the Size of a Mustard Seed Faith of the Servant Greeting (See Second Reading) May you keep alive in you the faith and love in Christ Jesus. May the Holy Spirit who lives in you help you to guard the riches of your faith and be always with you. R/ And also with you.
