Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation. (Psalm 84) This Gospel of Jesus walking on the storm-tossed waters of the Sea of Galilee describes those times in our lives when troubles begin to overwhelm us. We seem to be in the boat alone, at the mercy of relentless winds and rains.…

The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs. (Psalm 144) Today’s readings describe God’s gracious, merciful love, but none more so than the Gospel. When Jesus feeds the five thousand, to say nothing of the women and children, with five loaves and two fish, this is God’s love in action. We…

Lord, I love your commands. (Psalm 118) Today’s Gospel continues Matthew’s descriptions of what the kingdom of heaven is like. Jesus never says what the kingdom actually is, but tells us what the kingdom is like in parables and similes. We read that the kingdom is like hidden treasure in a field or a pearl…

Lord, you are good and forgiving. (Psalm 85) In today’s Gospel, Jesus draws on his knowledge of rural and village life to illustrate his parables of the kingdom of heaven. He frequently says, “The kingdom of heaven is like…” We can marvel at how vivid and timeless are our Lord’s similes so that they still…

The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest. (Psalm 64). Today’s long Gospel from St. Matthew is the parable of the sower whose seed falls on different types of soil and produces a harvest accordingly – or not. The Gospel is divided into three parts: the parable itself, Jesus’ observations on…

I will praise your name forever, my king and my God. (Psalm 144) Today’s Gospel consists of three different sayings of our Lord. First, Jesus blesses His Father for revealing great truths to his simple and uneducated disciples, rather than to the wise and clever. He then confirms his inseparable and intimate union with his…

Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord. (Psalm 88) Jesus is teaching his disciples as their divine Lord, and such teachings are absolute truths with universal application. He teaches us that he has precedence over all our human preferences. Not that we are to love our family any less, but that love for…

Lord, in your great love, answer me. (Psalm 68) Today we see Jesus the Teacher, instructing the Twelve in the lessons they must proclaim to the world. Jesus introduces them (and us) into a new relationship with God: not a distant, almighty judge, but to Abba, a gentle, loving, intimately present, Father. Our Christian faith…

We are his people: the sheep of his flock.(Psalm 99) In Matthew’s gospel today, Jesus calls his twelve disciples. He sends them out with certain instructions, mainly to go first to the lost sheep of the House of Israel and proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Then, he empowers them with…

Praise the Lord, Jerusalem. (Psalm 147) This Sunday is the feast of Corpus Christi, when the Church reflects on and celebrates the wonderful mystery of the Eucharist. From St. John we hear the “bread of life” gospel, in which Jesus makes statements only God could make: “I am the living bread which has come down…