We find one of Scripture’s saddest lines in the prologue of John’s Gospel: “He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him” (Jn 1:11).

Indeed, this is the greatest tragedy of salvation history: The leaders…

Is God unjust? Does He treat us unequally? We have been trained to expect fairness and equality. “God shows no partiality,” both Sts. Peter and Paul tell us (Acts 10:34; Rom 2:11). We Americans have the phrase “All men are…

The ancient historian Tacitus once accused Christians of a “hatred of mankind.” His charge came, at least in part, from the Christians’ refusal to participate in certain civic functions and celebrations. For this reason Tacitus viewed them as hostile to…

We have all heard the phrase, “timing is everything.” This holds true perhaps for a comedy routine or the West Coast Offense.

Then we might hear, “better late than never.” And that might hold true in other situations.

But how do these…

Imagine you were purchasing or building a home for your family. Would you buy from a realtor who could not guarantee the strength and security of the house’s foundation? Or would you build on unstable footing? Of course not.

You would…

When we say that the Church is “catholic,” we mean that she is “universal.” Our Lord uses the image of the dragnet to indicate the universal character of His Church: “The kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into…

“Who do you say that I am?” (Mt 16:15). Our Lord asks this question of all His disciples. The “you” here is plural: “Who do you all say that I am?” Yet, even though He asks the question of all,…

“Actions speak louder than words,” we say. “He’s all talk,” describes the man who says a lot and does nothing. Or simply, “Talk is cheap.”

These phrases from our culture all express the same basic point: words and actions must go together.…

A good story will typically end nicely, bringing everything to a neat conclusion — perhaps with the words “And they lived happily ever after.” So it would make sense for the Gospel — the greatest story ever told — to…

In almost every account of the resurrection we find a sense of urgency. On Easter morning, Mary Magdalene and the other women race from the tomb to tell the Apostles. On hearing the news, Peter and John race back to the tomb to see for themselves.

Again, at the Sea of Tiberias, Peter cannot wait for the boat to make it back to shore: he jumps in the water and swims there himself. And when the disciples who encounter Jesus on the road to Emmaus realize Who it was Who accompanied them, "they set out at once and (return) to Jerusalem" (Lk 24:33). Regarding this last example, keep in mind that it was already night, Jerusalem was about seven miles away, and ancient Palestinian infrastructure did not make night travel convenient — or safe. Still, they race back to tell the Apostles.