Daily Reflections

Saint Matthew’s feast celebrates the apostle whom Christ called from the tax booth. His vocation reveals the transforming initiative of Jesus: Christ does not wait until a person has become worthy before calling him. He calls sinners into discipleship and then changes them through grace. Ephesians describes the Church as one Body with diverse ministries, […]

The parable of the workers in the vineyard confronts one of our deepest temptations: measuring God’s generosity by comparison with others. The workers hired early complain because those who worked only briefly receive the same wage. Yet the landowner has not cheated them; he has been generous. Isaiah explains why God’s action can seem mysterious: […]

Saint Paul uses the image of seed to explain the resurrection of the body. What is sown is perishable; what God raises is imperishable. The image is especially appropriate for Christian discipleship because the Gospel’s parable of the sower likewise speaks of God’s word being planted in human hearts. The seed appears small and vulnerable, […]

Saint Paul insists that the Resurrection of Christ is not a symbolic metaphor. If Christ has not been raised, Christian preaching is empty and faith is futile. But Christ has indeed been raised, and therefore he is the firstfruits of those who have died. The Gospel complements this teaching by presenting Jesus moving through towns […]