The Dispatch
True worship and the cleansing of the Temple
On the Readings for Sunday, March 4, 2018, the Third Sunday of Lent […]
Moses
The Dispatch
Prophets, demons, and false gods
On the Readings for Sunday, January 28, 2018 […]
The Dispatch
“What shall I do, sir?”: On the conversion of Saint Paul
Readings: • Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22 • Psa 117:1bc, 2 • Mk 16:15-18 Horse or no horse, it’s a powerful, moving story. My pastor and I have a running joke about the conversion of St. […]
The Dispatch
The central Mystery of the Faith, the Source of Reality
Readings: • Ex 34:4b-6, 8-9 • Dan 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56 • 2 Cor 13:11-13 • Jn 3:16-18 The Trinity, the Catechism states, is “the central mystery of Christian faith and life” (CCC 234). […]
The Dispatch
The Cross is the doorway to communion with God
Readings: • Gen 12:1-4a • Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22 • 2 Tim 1:8b-10 • Mt 17:1-9 “Life is short; death is certain,” wrote St. John Henry Newman, “and the world to come is everlasting.” […]
The Dispatch
The Beatitudes: The new Law given by the new Moses
Readings: • Zeph. 2:3; 3:12-13 • Psa. 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10 • 1 Cor. 1:26-31 • Matt. 5:1-12a During this Sunday’s Gospel reading we hear the Beatitudes, among the most well-known and oft-quoted sayings of Jesus. […]
The Dispatch
The prayer that we breathe
Readings: • Ex 17:8-13 • Ps 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 • 2 Tm 3:14-4:2 • Lk 18:1-8 How long can any of us live without air? A few minutes at best? How long can we […]
The Dispatch
The Vigilant and Faithful Disciple
Readings: • Wis 18:6-9 • Ps 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22 • Heb 11:1-2, 8-19 • Lk 12:32-48 “What is the mark of a Christian?” asked St. Basil in his work, Moralia, which is a guide […]
The Dispatch
Proclaiming the Kingdom in the splendor of the Son
Readings: • Is 66:10-14c • Ps 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20 • Gal 6:14-18 • Lk 10:1-12, 17-20 Anyone who has seen a sunrise from a viewpoint overlooking a grand vista knows the wonder of […]
Essay
Lessons for Lent from the conversion of the Prodigal Son
It is vital to grasp the twofold context in which St. Luke situates his account of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The first is the immediate context, which shows that the parable, preceded by […]