Point Loma, San Diego, CA
Point Loma, San Diego, CA
In the Gospel of Luke (14:25-33), Jesus makes it clear that following Him comes with a high price tag. He takes precedence over all else. He does not need quantity but quality discipleship. He said, “If anyone who comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot …
In the Gospel of Luke (14:1-14), Jesus gives two parables about the values of the Kingdom of God. The first is about ladder society. He noticed that people were choosing places of honor during a banquet that He attended. People were busy choosing the best seats nearest to the host. Sitting in the best seats makes us feel superior and …
The dream of God is to save all of us and to make us agents of His salvation and love. Jesus is the fulfillment of that dream by dying on the Cross. He goes to Jerusalem to give His life and love to the end. There in Jerusalem that He shows His, zeal, passion, determination and undivided love. Only love …
All baptized Christians are called to be prophets, kings and priests. Prophets because we are called to speak the Word of God, a Word that breathes love. Kings because we are servant leaders. Priests because we are mediators between God and man. We share in the priesthood of Christ. In the initial stage of his prophetic ministry, Jeremiah was hesitant …
The Sacred Scriptures reveal that our faith is centered on remembering. To remember the powerful intervention of God liberating Israel from Egypt. To remember that nothing is impossible to God. To remember that everything is grace and it is always God’s initiative. To remember that our God is a faithful God and His love is excessive, extravagant and boundless. He …
There was a young mother in my parish community who was depressed due to financial strain. She prayed for help. One morning before Mass, she placed on the counter a zip-lock bag filled with jewelry and old coins. Smiling, she explained she had been fixing an old cabinet and found the items hidden deep within the walls of her home. …
It’s 9:08 on a Saturday morning, and I am too darn busy for confession. I’ve probably written before about how hard I find it to get to confession — I say ‘probably’ because I really can’t remember. I whine about it so frequently that it’s hard to tell if I’ve made it the subject of a written piece or if …
Your faith has saved you. These are the words I pray I will hear when my heart stops beating, when the last breath has left my lungs. We hear Jesus say these words, or words like them, several times in the Gospels: to the woman bold enough to grasp for his cloak in a crowd, to the men who testify …
It has always confused me: why a judge? Jesus could have compared prayer to the subject who requests a gift of his king. He could have compared it to the child who asks a favor of a parent. But in the parable of the widow and the judge, Jesus compares prayer — specifically constant, unwearying prayer — with the marginalized …
I used to be a bad neighbor. I’d get wrapped up in my life and ignore those around me. Then I found sage advice from Benjamin Franklin to this effect: to be a better neighbor, ask someone to do a favor for you. It’s counterintuitive, isn’t it? Tell strangers that I need their help? Yuck. I’ll risk looking needy. Worse, …