1 Mc 4:36-37, 52-59 / Lk 19:45-48
Today we get a happy ending to the dreadful story we’ve been hearing all week, starting with the Greeks’ brutal imposition of their culture upon the Jews, the revolt that followed, and finally the…

Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D. - who has written 736 posts on Catholic Exchange.
Posted on 20 November 2009
1 Mc 4:36-37, 52-59 / Lk 19:45-48
Today we get a happy ending to the dreadful story we’ve been hearing all week, starting with the Greeks’ brutal imposition of their culture upon the Jews, the revolt that followed, and finally the…
Posted on 19 November 2009
1 Maccabees 2:15-29 / Lk 19:41-44
The Maccabees’ saga continues in today’s reading with Mattathias and his family being offered the ultimate deal with the devil: A small sacrifice to the pagan gods in exchange for vast riches and the title,…
Posted on 18 November 2009
2 Mac 7:1, 20-31 / Lk 19:11-28
Fear is one of the greatest adversaries that any of us will ever face. It steals our peace and our joy, it closes down many roads, and throws up many walls. Some form of…
Posted on 17 November 2009
2 Mac 6:18-31 / Lk 19:1-10
Out of every tragedy and every evil, God eventually brings a greater good, though sometimes that good remains hidden and invisible for a long time. Often, in the midst of suffering, it’s difficult to understand…
Posted on 16 November 2009
1 Mc 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63 / Lk 18:35-43
We have the beginnings of a great tragedy in today’s reading from the book of Maccabees. The Greeks had decided to impose their own language and culture on the various parts of their…
Posted on 14 November 2009
Dn 12:1-3 / Heb 10:11-14, 18 / Mk 13:24-32
There was a mother mouse who was scurrying across the kitchen floor with her brood of six little mice in tow. All of a sudden she came eyeball-to-eyeball with a very large…
Posted on 13 November 2009
Wis 13:1-9 / Lk 17:26-37
A friend of mine lost his wife’s diamond ring while bringing in the evening cocktails. The two of them searched high and low, swept the floors, and crawled about on their hands and knees, but all to…
Posted on 12 November 2009
Wis 7:22-8:1 / Lk 17:20-25
In every age there has been an ample chorus of voices proclaiming the imminent arrival of the end of the world. The volume only gets louder at the end of a century, to say nothing of…
Posted on 11 November 2009
Wisdom 6:1-11 / Lk 17:11-19
Today’s Old Testament reading is a stern warning to those in positions of authority that they will be held accountable for the power the Lord has put in their hands. But before we relax too much…
Posted on 10 November 2009
Wis 2:23-3:9 / Lk 17:7-10
There are some passages in the scriptures that people really don’t like, and the end of today’s gospel is one of them. For those of us who work hard to do the right thing, and to…