Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
The Gospel reading today has a bit of an Advent flair to it, reminding us to be ready for Christ’s coming at any time. It is fitting for us to hear it today, in the middle of Ordinary Time, as a reminder that the Gospel call to readiness is not just an Advent theme, it is crucial ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
Jesus’ opening line in this Gospel may strike an alarming note for us residents of California. We are all too familiar with the destructive power of wildfires and the havoc they can cause. But the fire Jesus is referring to is a purifying, not a devastating, force. Jesus is on fi ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
The Gospel reading today has a bit of an Advent flair to it, reminding us to be ready for Christ’s coming at any time. It is fitting for us to hear it
today, in the middle of Ordinary Time, as a reminder that the Gospel call to readiness is not just an Advent theme, it is crucial ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
Today’s Gospel is often interpreted in terms of the distribution of wealth among nations and what it means to live in a just economy. This global view is certainly important. When one reviews the lists of the world’s wealthiest individuals and nations the discrepancies between top ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
How many times have you prayed the Lord’s Prayer? Over a lifetime it is surely too many times to count. The first disciples were sometimes slow to understand Jesus’ teaching, but in this instance, they are completely accurate in their observations and their request. They have see ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
Today’s Gospel story of Martha and Mary is a familiar one, and one which seems to draw an obvious conclusion, that it is better to be a Mary than a Martha. However, I think that the true lesson is more nuanced than this. Highlighted in this story is the need to balance action and c ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
In today’s Gospel Jesus shares another beloved parable, the Good Samaritan. Like the Prodigal Son, this parable invites us to put ourselves in the shoes of all the characters involved, and reflect on times that we have experienced the kindness, or the indifference, of strangers. We ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
We hear two accounts of Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven today, one in Luke’s Gospel, and another in the Acts of the Apostles. In both there is a clear direction for the first disciples, they are to stay in Jerusalem, waiting for coming of the Holy Spirit that Jesus has promised. Onc ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
As we hear the story of Jesus’ travels with His disciples in today’s Gospel, I am struck with Jesus’ enormous patience with His followers. James and John want call down a heavenly fire-ball on a town that rejects Jesus. They believe the townspeople has insulted Jesus by not w ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
Today we celebrate the great solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, and we reflect on the remarkable gift that is the Eucharist. In all our readings today, shared meals form the heart of the hospitality that God offers to us, and invites us to offer one another. In the ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
Today we celebrate the great mystery at the heart of our Catholic faith, the Most Holy Trinity, one God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our typical understanding of the word mystery is something that is meant to be solved, but the theological sense of mystery is a l ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
Today we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost, the birthday of our Church, when the Holy Spirit visited Jesus’ first disciples and empowered them to share the Good News of salvation. It is a visceral and inspirational story, the strong wind, the tongues of flame, and the sudden abili ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
We hear two accounts of Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven today, one in Luke’s Gospel, and another in the Acts of the Apostles. In both there is a clear direction for the first disciples, they are to stay in Jerusalem, waiting for coming of the Holy Spirit that Jesus has promised. Onc ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
Today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles places us in the midst of the heated conversation on what is required to be a Christian. Some people felt that to be a follower of Christ, one first needed to be a Jew. This excluded many of the Gentiles who were coming to believe in Je ...
Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
In today’s Gospel Jesus’ new commandment, and His vision for the new Church that was to come, could not have been simpler, or more challenging! He asks his disciples to love. Jesus calls them, and us, to love as God loves, with a love that is rooted in humility and vulnerability. T ...
