Many years ago, I watched a PBS documentary on the civil rights struggle of African Americans in the 1950s and 1960s. Its title, taken from the words of an old Negro Spiritual, was “Keep your eyes on the prize!” Keep your eyes on the prize – even when all hope seems to be gone.
Because it appears in all four Gospels, the multiplication of the loaves and fishes – and the Bread of Life discourse that follows it in the Gospel of John – is a frequent homily topic in the summer months.
As I approached the readings this week, I began to wonder: “Hmm… another Gospel parable about sowers and seeds.” Why did Jesus tell two such similar stories back-to-back – thereby leaving summer preachers with the challenge of coming up with two different homilies on what seems to be the same to
“Listen! A sower went out to sow.” Thus begins a wonderful series of stories told by the great teacher, Jesus of Nazareth – stories which, two thousand years later, are still being told as around the world, Christians gather to be formed by the Greatest Story ever told. As we gather on this ho
What burdens are YOU carrying? Stop and think about it for a minute. What aspects of your life – or the lives of those you know and love – seem the most difficult to accept, and to bear? Burdens come in all shapes and sizes. And no matter how rich, how famous, how integrated, how together someone may seem to the outside world – everybody is carrying something.
Questions, questions. We pray, we go on retreat, we come to Mass – in order to carve out some space in our busy lives for God. For many of us, that means talking to God. Sometimes we do so in the formal language of vocal prayers, or through the Scriptures, or some other kind
Any time you see one of us women in the parish sharing a reflection, you know you will be receiving a message with a different angle, weaving into our liturgical season a special event or experience. And so it is today.
“I am the way, the truth and the life…” Jesus says these words in answer to Thomas. Thomas is asking Jesus how they can follow him when they don’t know the way. Jesus responds with these words: “I am the way the truth and the life…” So, right away we interpret these words to mean something like: “My way is the way to heaven” or “Just follow what I have taught you.” These words do suggest that.
Mother’s Day / World Day of Prayer for Vocations / Fourth Sunday of Easter
Fr. Raymond Lafontaine, E.V.May 11, 2014
Throughout the whole Church today, we celebrate the 4th Sunday of Easter. This is also known as “Good Shepherd Sunday”, because in the Gospel, Jesus presents himself to us as the Good Shepherd who cares for his flock, who knows each of his lambs by name, who protects them from danger, who gives them “abundant life.”
St. Monica's Parish