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Mt 11:25-27 Jesus, after chastising those religious experts who have rejected him, rejected God, now turns to the Father praising those who are childlike, open to all that Jesus say and does in the name of the Father. Their innocence allows them to be open. You bless us with open minds and hearts that lead us further into friendship with you....

“By calling sinners to his table, [Jesus] heals them, restoring to them the vocation that they believed had been lost and which the Pharisees had forgotten: that of being guests at God’s banquet.” — Pope Francis Reflection: With whom do you share meals on a regular basis? How are your interactions at table similar to or...

by Maria Wiering (OSV News) — “He was the world’s flower and glory, and has rendered superfluous the writings of doctors (of theology) who shall come after him.” St. Albert the Great is said to have exclaimed these words upon the news of the death of St. Thomas Aquinas, his former student, in 1274 at age 48....

Mt 11:20-24 Jesus puts out a stern warning to the people in the Galilean cities. Their rejection of him, rejection of his Father will have consequences as has happened in the past. Are the mighty deeds he has done not enough for them to know him and to turn to him? Rejection of you is so clear in this ongoing period of anger, repression and...

Have you ever looked through a pair of binoculars and marveled at how close something in the distance can appear? This impression is even stronger when we gaze at the stars through a telescope or view images recorded from satellites that are many miles above us in space. Suddenly, we find ourselves able to focus on something that was previously unapproachable. The object was there, we just could not perceive it without help. Perhaps this is a good image for us to consider when we think about our faith in Christ. Without the vision of faith, God seems distant and unapproachable. When we develop eyes of faith, we see the world and all who dwell in it, and then perceive God’s creative hand. We interact with others and recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit; we experience love, forgiveness and mercy through another or in a special way in the sacraments, and we know Christ in our midst. When we keep our sight fixed on Christ, God is closer than we dare imagine. Such vision is a matter of faith, and of commitment. It is easy to lose this vision, due to difficult life circumstances or through simple indifference — we become numb to the glory of God and more readily see the things of the world, the activities of our lives, the mundane. Living in this way, we play it safe. When we are numb to God’s grace in our midst, the Gospel will not challenge us. We are more likely to be dissatisfied and unsettled in our lives, always seeking something that is beyond our grasp. This month, think about how you might develop “binoculars” for your spiritual life — ways that will help you to fix your sight on Christ while keeping God’s love and the call to share it closely in your vision. This article comes to you from Grace In Action (Our Sunday Visitor) courtesy of your parish or diocese.

God of love, we are your creation; each person uniquely reflecting something of you. Open my eyes to see the glimmer of your glory in every person, be they family or stranger. Amen.   This content comes to you from Our Sunday Visitor courtesy of your parish or diocese.

Mt 10: 34—11:1 What Jesus is saying in the final verses of his ministry discourse is difficult. His disciples are going off on his Father’s mission. They need to understand that there will be conflict and that for them and all those they encounter their loyalty to Jesus must be above all else. Our family and friends are gifts to us,...

by: Maryann Gogniat Eidemiller When the first Sisters of Nazareth embraced the legacy of their founder Victoire Larmenier, they dedicated their lives to sharing the love of God through their ministries of care and education, and their “openness to the needs of the times.” The needs of caring for the elderly then in the...

Mt 13:1-23 The parable of the sower and seeds is the first part of Jesus’ parables about the kingdom. To make his point clear, Jesus uses images drawn from everyday life. The disciples question this teaching method. Jesus reminds them that they may not need the message spoken this way because they have the understanding that others do not....