Juan Point at a Time

Sometimes people choose, consciously and unconsciously, to turn off the light of their conscience. Today's scripture story is an example of what can happen when people choose to do so.  Year 2 - Lent - Week 05 - Monday

The story of the Prodigal Son is often told with an emphasis upon his repentance and God's love, but there is another nearly invisible character who models what is possible from the very beginning. Year C - Lent - Week 4

Though tradition and teaching can help us come to know a lot about God, he ultimately just wants us to know him. Today's Gospel points us back towards relationship with God; something we can encounter when we enter into interior silence. Lent - Week 2 - Sunday

Christ always models for us that with which he also helps us. In the readings for the first Sunday of Lent, that's moments when we walk through wilderness in our lives. First Sunday of Lent

When challenges come for faith or life and they seem insurmountable, the best thing to do may be to love them even though it seems like exactly the opposite of what we want to do.  Year 2 - Ordinary Time - Week 6 - Wednesday 

Jesus shocks his disciples with the beatitudes today. They are not an appealing list, yet they can wake us up to poison we might be drinking without realizing it. Year C - Ordinary Time - Week 6 

Saint Josephine Bakhita walked through the valley of the shadow of death and had plenty of cause to fear evil, but she somehow lived with a grace that is beyond telling. Ferial of Saint Josephine Bakhita The blessing read at the end of this homily comes from the reflection guide to Kate Bowler's Good Enough Lent which can be found here.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a devotion that emphasizes the God's loving mercy for us. This homily speaks to how we can learn to love ourselves and others more like Christ. The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Jesus today raises two difficult moments from the institutional history of the Israelites. As similar as our own responses can be at times, he is opening a space to begin reconciling with the past in the present. Year C - Ordinary Time - Week 4

Unbeknown to nearly all, Jesus quietly performs a miracle at the Wedding at Cana. He can do the same with the water in our lives when our trust is fully in Him. Year C - Ordinary Time - Week 2

The healing work of therapists and the healing work of priests can be quite complimentary. Year 2 - Week 1 - Ordinary Time - Tuesday

Many thought John the Baptist was the messiah because he had answers to difficult questions, but the true messiah does much more than provide answers. Advent - Week 03 - Sunday

The Gospel today is cast with characters who are all waiting for something when they encounter Jesus. As we prepare for Advent, perhaps each of us can ask ourselves, what am I waiting for? Advent - Week 02 - Monday

John Berchmans life was fraught with tragedy, yet he is remembered for having been kind, friendly, intelligent, and emotionally mature. He is a saint not for the sacrifices that were forced upon him, but for his continually responding out of a desire to do only the will of God in the midst of it all. Memorial of Saint John Berchmans

Today's Gospel has two rulers go toe-to-toe in a verbal boxing match. The opponents seem unevenly matched and it turns out they are, but not the way one would expect. Year B - Solemnity of Christ the King

Jesus was well aware that everyone faces apocalyptic moments in life, moments when it feels like the world is being turned upside down. Today's reading and the story of Christ's own life is a reassurance to trust in his word.

It's amazing how many things can get in the way of doing good, but when it comes to implementing our great desires, something is better than nothing. Year 1 - Ordinary Time - Week 30 - Friday

It always seems so difficult to find one's place in the world. This was even the case for Saint Therese of Lisieux after having committed to life in a convent. Her words offer comfort and guidance for those seeking a place within the Catholic Church and beyond. Feast of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus Feast of Saint Therese of Lisieux

Jesus provokes in the Gospel reading with images of cutting off a hand or foot if it causes us to stumble... and he's exactly right. Some things lead us down to perdition and aren't worth an iota of our time or energy. Year B - Ordinary Time - Week 26

Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross Sometimes people find themselves trapped in a private hell, but Christ is able to break into even those spaces and lead them out by the hand. What the Christian tradition encourages is looking up to the triumphant and exalted cross of Christ, especially when times of trial and tribulation come. Christ can be a guide through and out of darkness. The painting ref...

Saint Monica is the mother of Saint Augustine of Hippo. Although she is credited with his conversion, it is God's ability to bring hope there seemed to be none that allowed her to be a source of inspiration for her son. Memorial of Saint Monica

Year 1 - Week 17 - Ordinary Time - Friday In the Gospel reading, Jesus is not able to reveal himself to the people of Nazareth because of preconceptions they firmly held. Sometimes we too can get caught up in the attitude of the people of Nazareth for seemingly good reasons when others are trying to reveal something new to us about themselves.

Year 1 - Ordinary Time - Week 17 - Wednesday Both of Jesus' parables presume that when it comes to the Kingdom of Heaven, we will know it when we see it. Yet daily we must make decisions in the midst of uncertainty. This sermon offers a rule of thumb which helps with discerning which road leads to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Year 1 - Ordinary Time - Week 16 - Saturday In the parable of the wheat and weeds, Jesus advises not yanking out the weeds. As always, he's sharing a bit of good news.

Feast of Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene has a profound love for Christ which is particularly obvious when he is experiencing poverty and humiliation. Her story helps understand how she was able to do so and how others can grow in their capacity to love those they encounter who may be in similar circumstances.