In the village of Bethany Jesus had three very special friends – the sisters, Martha and Mary, and their brother, Lazarus. When Lazarus got sick, it was only natural that the first one the two sisters should turn to for help was Jesus. They sent an urgent message to him,…
In the Gospel story Jesus gives the gift of sight to a blind man. But since we are not blind, we might think that the Gospel story has no relevance for us. It is precisely because we can see that it has relevance for us. The question is: how well…
One theme runs through all three of today’s readings. It is a very important and comforting theme. You could say that it is the heart of the Good News. That theme is: we are loved in our sins. We see this in the First Reading: in spite of the ingratitude…
Disfiguration and transfiguration. Picture an old oil lamp covered with layers of dust and dirt. How wretched and useless it looks. Then someone comes along, cleans off the layers of dirt, polishes it until it begins to sparkle, and then lights it. Suddenly the lamp is transformed. It positively glows,…
We have just begun Lent. And when we think of Lent we think of penance. Most people undertake some penance for Lent. This is a good and worthwhile practice. However, penance is not an end in itself. Once upon a time a very earnest young man visited a famous rabbi.…
