Fr. James Marchionda, OP breaks open the readings for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, unpacking the Beatitudes, challenging us to become "poor in spirit" so that we trust more in God.
Fr. James Marchionda, OP explains how Jesus broadens out the Christian understanding of familial love to include all of the people we choose to call family.
On the day when the Church calls for prayers for the legal protection of the unborn, Fr. James Marchionda, OP reminds us to choose life, and to be people who project that Gospel message to others.
Fr. James Marchionda, OP, noting how Jesus learned obedience from his suffering (Hebrews 5:1-10), asks us to think about what we learn from our own suffering, because it has much to teach us.
Fr. James Marchionda, OP, citing the prophet Isaiah, reminds us that it is too small a thing for God's blessings to stop with us. The blessings we receive are meant to pass through us to reach the entire world.
On the Solemnity of the Epiphany, when Christ was revealed to all the nations, Fr. James Marchionda, OP challenges us to be a part of the inclusivity that God intends for all people.
Fr. James Marchionda, OP, recalling Jesus' first miracle at the wedding feast in Cana, done only because his mother pushed him into it, asks us also to do what we might rather not out of love for others.
Fr. James Marchionda, OP, reading from the Prologue of John's Gospel that Jesus is the Light come into the world, asks us to become a part of that light, with the promise that the darkness, though never going away completely, cannot overcome us.
Fr. James Marchionda, OP, recalling the chaos of the first Christmas, when the Holy Family had to flee for their lives, thanks God that he does not know what this feels like, and asks us all to commit to helping those who do.
Fr. James Marchionda, OP muses on God "casting the mighty from their thrones" and realizes that we need to start with casting out the arrogance in ourselves before we point the finger at others.
Fr. James Marchionda, OP recalls St. Joseph's dream, and muses that sometimes, in order to follow God's plan for ourselves, we have to let go of our own plans.