I have to wonder what the disciples were thinking in the story of our gospel today. In another story, of course, a storm comes when Jesus takes a nap. And today we hear about a storm that comes on while Jesus goes off alone to pray. Surely these were both a little discouraging, and we can imagine the men asking that question that seems to constantly plague us in moments of trial: Where’s Jesus when you need him? Or, if you prefer, cue Lena Horne’s plaintive voice in her class

Just last week we heard the parable of the sower, where the seed is the word of God and the soil is the people who receive it. Today, though, in the parable of the wheat and the tares, we are not the soil but the seed. In one interpretation, this parable can appear disturbing, because whatever we are — wheat or weeds — we are simply what either Jesus or the devil planted. Seeds have no free will; they just live out their nature as seeds. This was how many of the Gnostic her

From Isaiah: [My word] shall not return to me empty,but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it. This is a great set of readings for those who like growing things. Even the most successful human gardener has issues from time to time — seeds that don’t sprout like they should, unpredictable weather, pests. Having moved all over the country, I’ve often had to forget a lot of what I’ve learned when I come to a new place. Scr

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30) This seems like a good message for summer vacations, though the heat of late makes it hard to do much of anything, including rest. Anyway it’s a wonderful passage, one that we rightly emphasize as a core description of the Ch

A very happy feast of title! This year I have enjoyed chewing on the Tradition’s thinking on this feast. It is a very old feast, dating at least back to the 4th century, and celebrated in both East and West. If you’re wondering why it happens on this date, recall simply that scripture informs us that, when Mary visits Elizabeth, shortly after the Annunciation, it was the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. So St. John’s nativity is approximately six months before our Lord’s

The prophet Jeremiah’s call to repent and keep the Sabbath is met by nothing but mockery and contempt among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The prophets are often ignored and persecuted. The Lord’s call in Matthew to have no fear in the face of such persecution is framed not as a description of what is normal but a command, because in fact it would be unnatural, in normal human terms, not to fear. Today’s climate of supposedly secular neo-pagan morality tests the boundaries of

Over the last few weeks we watched the Lord ascend into heaven, saw the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and turned finally to the contemplation of that mystery of all mysteries, the Holy Trinity. But if we imagine, through this progression, that the Catholic faith was moving us in the direction of pure intellectual vision and disembodied spiritual life, think again: “For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my b

If one is a certain kind of mainstream Christian, it is likely that one will find any extended conversation on the subject of the Trinity to be tedious and pointless. This won’t stop one from invoking said Trinity, or naming things after it, or even, perhaps, believing in it, whatever it means — but as a subject for discussion, or contemplation, the Trinity is about as useful as last week’s newspaper: a curious starting point somewhere in the background of the more interestin

Come Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of thy faithful people: and kindle in them the fire of thy love. This week I want to continue the theme that I began last week, leading to next Sunday’s celebration of the Most Holy Trinity. I want to show how the dogma of the Trinity is no mere academic afterthought but stands at the heart of Christian life. This morning, on the day of Pentecost, our worship is naturally tuned to the gift of the Holy Spirit. And this is where many of us p

On Thursday of this past week we marked our Lord’s Ascension into heaven. This Sunday after Ascension Day retains a strong memory of that event, as we see in our reading from Acts. And we stand in the calendar, like the Church in the first part of Acts, in that strange time between Christ’s exit and the Holy Spirit’s entrance on Pentecost. This is an opportunity for us, as it was for the disciples, to consider the meaning of the Ascension. And today I want to ask in particu

[This is a minor revision of a homily first preached in 2023] As St. Luke tells the story, the disciples have precious little time with the risen Jesus. They encounter the empty tomb. Shortly thereafter, as we hear this morning, a couple of other disciples encounter a stranger on the road to Emmaus who speaks to them for several hours; only in “the breaking of the bread” do they at last recognize their beloved rabbi Jesus. And he at once disappears again. The disciples in Jer

The Good Shepherd images in the gospel are always a bit disorienting to modern western ears, because we are accustomed to a rather different pattern of sheepherding. Strangely enough, this distinction is on full display in the charming 1995 film Babe, where a little pig learns to direct sheep not by the scare tactics, biting and driving of a sheepdog, but by polite instruction and friendship. Perhaps this should be a mandatory training video for new bishops. In any case this

April 5, 2026 Many parents of young children get tired of hearing “they grow up so fast,” or worse, “treasure every moment,” those sentimental comments from well-meaning folks piling fuel onto the fires of parental anxiety. I know I hated hearing those things in the early years of our family. Maybe I’m just not a very nice person. But this sentimentality has a certain truthfulness that takes on a harder edge as we all get older, which is less about savoring the moment — somet

April 3, 2026 In one section of C.S. Lewis’ wonderful little book, The Screwtape Letters, the demonic mentor provides ample suggestions for how to distract the “patient” in prayer. On the one hand, a good tempter might push the patient towards a sort of abstract prayerful attitude in which bodily posture matters not; this is very effective because it “bears a superficial resemblance to the prayer of silence as practiced by those who are very far advanced in the Enemy's servic

April 2, 2026 The burning bush at Mount Sinai is unlikely to be on the mind for most this Holy Thursday, but it lurks in the background. The most direct narrative connection comes from our first reading, the institution of the Passover, intended in the Church’s wisdom to parallel the institution of the Eucharist as a new and more perfect Passover. The Passover is the culmination of that relationship with Moses begun on Sinai, and which eventually returns to Sinai for the givi