Jesus heals the daughter of the Canaanite woman because her faith was so great. He rebuked the disciples because their faith was too little. Matthew's gospel here is teaching us something very important about the nature of the faith that moves mountains....
The Transfiguration of the Jesus at the summit of Mt. Tabor, remembered each year on August 6, is one of the pivotal events of the Lord's public ministry. The veil of the carpenter's humanity is pulled back for a moment and his divine nature...
The gospel story of Jesus walking on the water and Peter sinking has much to teach us about the difference between fear, little faith, and the kind of trust that endures waves and storms, trials and crisis....
Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish Franciscan priest, offered his life in exchange for the life of a family man doomed to execution by the Nazis at Auschwitz. The following excerpt from his writings contrasts religious indifferentism with the path of obedience to God's will and...
The story of the visit of Jesus to the home of Martha and Mary in Bethany raises questions about hospitality, service, prayer, action and contemplation. First of all, does Jesus love some people, like Mary, Mary, and Lazarus, more than others? If so,...
The Parable of the Sower and the Seed needs to be viewed from two different perspectives in order to unlock its meaning - from that of the sower and that of the seed. Whether sowing or growing - the point is a plentiful harvest...
7 minute podcast segment in which Dr. Italy is interviewed about the dynamics of discipleship and the paradox of freedom and rest through discipline.The term discipleship has been heard a lot in the past few years. Many parishes are writing mission statements these days calling...
In Matthew's gospel, Jesus makes the statement "my yoke is easy, my burden light." For many of us who follow him, this does not seem to square with our experience. This post discusses the reasons for this....
Jesus says to deny self, pick up the cross and follow him. But he also says to love your neighbor as yourself. Is self-love always wrong?...
Augustine on the divine love, known as charity, caritas, agape, that Jesus commanded us to have for one another in the last supper discourse of the Gospel of John. This sort of love is impossible for human beings without the help of grace -- it...