Fr. James Marchionda, OP

Again from Abruzzo, Italy, Fr. Jimmy looks at Jesus' injunction to enter through the narrow gate in light of the first reading from Isaiah—that God came to gather people from every nation—concluding that the narrow gate is to have a broad minded view of inclusivity. We are not to have a narrow view of who is saved in our church, nor allow a narrow nationalism in our country—a challenging perspective!

Today's reflection is from the Abruzzo Mountains in Italy, where Fr. Jimmy is visiting his ancestral homeland. Jesus tells his followers that they should do everything the religious leaders say, but they should not follow their example because they do not practice what they preach. Fr. Jimmy ties this to Pope Francis' warnings against clericalism, and also applies it to leadership outside the Church, noting that political leaders should also see themselves as servants, and not as entitled to special treatment. In the same way, each of us needs to practice what we preach.

Join Fr. James Marchionda, OP as he breaks open the readings for the Know Before You Go video for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Some of the themes explored are: Faith over sight, Preparedness for God's presence, Responsibility that comes with blessing, Daily discipleship, Biblical study for 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

On the Feast of St. James, we hear the words of St. Paul in his Second Letter to the Corinthians, "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed." Jesus did not come to remove suffering or to have us ignore it. He came so that, knowing his power and presence, we would be empowered to choose hope even in the midst of suffering.

Jesus said, "to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away." He was speaking of faith, not material wealth. Do we have a faith that is open to growing and increasing? If not, we will lose it.

Join Fr. James Marchionda, OP in this Know Before You Go video for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. In our first reading from Deuteronomy, we learn that God's Law is already inside us. We don't need to go looking for it.
In the second reading from Paul's Letter to the Colossians, we hear of how Christ is the center of all things.
For a Gospel, we have the classic parable of the Good Samaritan, and are confronted with the question of who is our neighbor today? If it is the one in front of us in need, it seems as if the answer in the United States is the recent immigrant. What should we do about that as faithful Christians?