August 2023

“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” We all receive many invitations to attend events or to join groups. Some invitations are truly appealing. Others, we hope that we can politely avoid. Today Jesus offers the invitation to follow Him. At first, it sounds like the chance of a lifetime. However, we quickly learn that accepting the invitation requires us to make great sacrifices. Jesus explains the overwhelming struggle of being a

Even non-believers would have a hard time criticizing Jesus for being uncaring, rigid, or callous. Throughout the Gospels, His words and actions are almost always loving, empathetic, and understanding. I say “almost always” because today we read about a rare (perhaps, the only) encounter between Jesus and a Canaanite woman who needs His help in which Jesus refuses her request (at least initially) and, to make matters worse, He insults the woman. Jesus explains that his mission is “only to the

Today, the Church celebrates the Transfiguration of our Lord. This is the moment when Jesus took Peter, James and John up the mountain to see Him with Moses and Elijah as Jesus as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. Then they see Him in dazzling white. There are two key elements of this encounter with the transfigured Lord. First, the apostles hear God’s voice speaking to them. In the Opening Prayer this morning, we ask God that, “listening to