Brilliant, spirited, humorous, and very kind, St. Francis was bishop of Geneva during the Reformation. Both through his eloquence and his personal contact with people, he convinced many not to become Protestants and won many back to Catholicism. He wanted to lead a simple life like everyone else. Wearing ordinary clothes, he mixed with the
The greatness of David is shown in the act that he spares the life of Saul when the latter is pursuing David. David, though persecuted, wants to do no harm to the king, the Lord’s anointed. Gospel. Jesus summons those he wants to work with him. The Twelve, reminding us of the twelve tribes of
David’s victory over Goliath and the praise that the people gave him made Saul the reason to become very jealous of David. Saul’s son Jonathan, a close friend of David, pleads for him and can temporarily restrain Saul from harming David. Gospel. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus’ ministry in Galilee is summarised. Yesterday, we
David and Goliath! A boy and a professional military leader. Often in the Bible, the weak are more powerful than the strong. What is weak and small attracts God’s strength. It is not really the underdog who beats the bragging man of violence, but God who makes his greatness known, for he is the God
Few saints have been as popular in Rome as the twelve or thirteen-year-old girl martyr St. Agnes. At a time of massive defections from the faith, in 305, she endured torture with idealism and patient faithfulness. Even the young can make hard decisions. She is celebrated today by the pope blessing unblemished lambs from whose
God’s ways are not our ways… What is weak attracts his strength. He confounds the mighty by selecting the least and the powerless to do his work. This perennial inversion of values is found in the vocation and election stories of the Old Testament, like David’s in today’s first reading, and will be deepened and
The reading from Samuel narrates the beginning of the disenchantment with King Saul. He kept the spoils of war that he was told not to keep. Gospel. You know from experience that change is always a problem to us. It calls us away from the security of our ingrained habits and our certainties. And it
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 2026 will be observed from January 18 to January 25, with the theme “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling” (Ephesians 4:4). Details of the celebration may be accessed here. Scroll down the page to
God has his own plans and standards, which are often at variance with our human wisdom. For example, he calls sinners – limited, deficient people – and they are good enough for him to do God’s work, even to be entrusted with a special mission. Saul is taken from an insignificant tribe of God’s people.
“If you want to be perfect, go and sell what you own… and come, follow me.” Saint Anthony (251-356) heard these words, gave away what he had and withdrew into the desert, as he thought that this was the place where the evangelical way could be practiced in all its purity. Later Anthony organized monastic
