The parable in today’s Gospel (Luke 18:9-14) sheds some light on our attitude in offering prayers to God. The Pharisee, a righteous man in the eyes of the community, and a tax collector, a self-confessed wicked and sinful man, go to the Temple to offer their prayers to God. We learn a lot about these…

The Lectionary readings for today include two wonderful stories from the Bible – the Old Testament story (Exodus 32:1, 7-14) about Moses and God upon the mountain and the New Testament story of Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners and his story of the Lost Sheep. Among his many amazing talents, Moses would have…

There’s a great saying in the South that goes like this: “That preacher’s just gone from preachin’ to meddlin’.” And that’s exactly what Jesus has done in today’s Gospel. He’s gone from preachin’ to meddlin’. “If you don’t hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, you cannot…

“What’s in a name?” We’ve all probably heard that phrase used many times. Or maybe we’ve heard, “Who’s your family?” In other words, where do you come from and who do you belong to? In the city of Philadelphia, if you ask Roman Catholics where they’re from, 90% of the time the answer you get…

The Old Testament lesson (2 Samuel 11:26-12:10, 13-15) reminds us that there are consequences to our actions. King David desires Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, one of his officers. After committing adultery with her, David plots to have Uriah killed in action against the Ammonites. God is displeased and sends the prophet Nathan to confront…

A good father flies kites with you at the park.A good father takes you fishing.A good father takes good care of you.A good father keeps you out of trouble.A good father loves you (and gives you just a sip of his beer). Bart was 13 years old when he prepared a Father’s Day card that…