Rich Thoughts

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. A reflection on God's holy name, as revealed in Exodus 3:14.

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. When God calls Moses to be a prophet, Moses tells God that he has the wrong man. How are we like that?

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. We, too, have a share of Jesus' Holy Spirit!

En el Centro de Detención del Condado de Knox. ¿Cómo Dios equipar seamos "corderos en medio de lobos"?

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. Today's gospel passage is John 20:24-29, but a guest preacher today reminds us of Thomas' appearances at John 11:16 and John 14:5.

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. The first lectionary reading today is Genesis 19:15-29, but we'll address 19:1-14 (the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah), since that's what everyone talks about. The key theological verse, however, is 19:29.

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. Skipping over Matthew 8:18-22 in order to concentrate on Genesis 18:16-33. Abraham is bold in how he talks with God. But perhaps the real lesson for us is to be bold in envisioning who God is!

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. Jesus (Luke 9:51-62) -- and Elijah (1 Kings 19:16-21) -- both seem to have harsh things to say about the journey of discipleship. Does Jesus really want the dead to bury the dead, or is it an exaggeration?

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. The people in Genesis 16:1-16 do not appear to act in very holy ways; some people would say the same thing of St. Cyril. We wrestle with the challenge today, with a final nod to Matthew 7:21-29.

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. The story of the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-25, 57-66), and how Isaiah 49:1-6 may be applied to us as well as to him.

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. Galatians 3:28 -- sometimes called "The Magna Carta of Humanity" -- challenges us to truly respect diversity in other people. Why do we so often fail to respect diversity? Perhaps Luke 9:23 can help!

At St. Thomas More Newman Center, Columbus, OH. The four women mentioned in Luke 7:36-8:3 have gotten a bad rap over the years… but how often do *WE* judge people by their past actions, too?

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. Wrestling with 2 Corinthians 3:4-11. Interesting to pair it with our gospel passage, Matthew 5:17-19. Christ yesterday, today, and for ever!

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. In the context of Matthew 5:13-16, Barnabas was salt and light to Paul. Who are the mentors in your life that you'd like to thank?

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. Who is oppressed in our society today? Who is held captive? 1 Kings 17:17-24, Luke 7:11-17, and Pope Francis point out how we can hear the people who are voiceless.

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. Our readings today (Genesis 14:18-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, and Luke 9:11-17) remind us that the Body and Blood of Christ is about MORE than the eucharistic elements of bread and wine at Mass. Challenging!

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. Reflection on the nature of Eucharistic Exposition (or Adoration). References made to 1 Corinthians 11:17-29 and Luke 19:1-10.

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. Passing over Mark 10:32-45 in order to focus on Sirach 36:1, 4-5a, 10-17. (Sirach is a deuterocanonical book of the Bible. It's sometimes called Ecclesiasticus, but NEVER Ecclesiastes.)

At Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. A message about the Holy Spirit's surprises on Saturday night… and a witnessing to a fresh surprise on Sunday afternoon!

A presentation I gave at the "Seekers of Silence" group, hosted by Blessed John XXIII Parish, Knoxville. The last 6 minutes or so are various snippets from discussion time before and after we wrote some poems.