Solemnity of All Saints (Year A.  Nov 1, 2026) Matthew 5:1-12a “for they will see God.” “How can we attain the purity of heart?” Abba John, who had been exiled by the Emperor Marcian, said, ‘We went to Syria one day to see Abba Poemen and we wanted to ask him about purity of heart. But the old man did

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A.  Oct 25, 2026) Matthew 22:34-40 “יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יְהוָ֥ה אֶחָֽד” (The LORD is our God, the LORD Alone.) “וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ בְּכָל־ לְבָבְךָ֥ וּבְכָל־ נַפְשְׁךָ֖ וּבְכָל־ מְאֹדֶֽךָ׃” (And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.) (Deu 6:4-5) “וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A.  Oct 18, 2026) Matthew 22:15-21 “…and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth(אֱמֶת).” Since childhood, I have been drawn to unusual things. I do not remember what I wanted to possess, but I remember what I longed for. When I was about seven years old, I encountered a

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A.  Oct 11, 2026) Matthew 22:1-14 “Some ignored the invitation and went away,one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants,mistreated them, and killed them….”            The soul is something incorporeal, capable of reason, destined to impart life to the body. It is this which

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A.  Oct 4, 2026) Matthew 21:33-43 “who planted a vineyard,  fenced around, dug a winepress,  built a tower,  to receive His fruits when the time drew near …”            Nevertheless, even he is aware he owes him all whom he knows is the maker of all his being. What then should

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A.  Sep 27, 2026) Matthew 21:28-32 “One way of working in the Father’s vineyard is …”            “If a man used always to be angry, he wants not only to stop being angry but to cultivate mildness. If he was bold and insolent, he must not only give it up,

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A.  Sep 20, 2026) Matthew 20:1-16a “… to hire …”   “HERE IS an image of the kingdom of heaven; a rich man …” Take this parable of our text. It seems a straightforward piece of Scripture if ever there was one, and yet it is rightly explained and commented on by many different

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A.  Sep 13, 2026) Matthew 18:21-35 “… because his heart was stirred …”   It was at this time, after the persecutions, that Constantine won supreme command [312 AD] and carried out a campaign against the tyranny of Maxentius. He issued a royal decree that selected youths should be conscripted into military service, among whom

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A.  Sep 6, 2026) Matthew 18:15-20   “… at times bear gently, at times correct firmly…” “If any brother is found to be contumacious, or disobedient, or proud, or a murmurer, or in any way has contempt for the Holy Rule and the precepts of his seniors, let him, according to Our Lord’s precept, be admonished once or twice in