Friday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time 1 Corinthians 9:16–19, 22b–27 A river begins as a small stream. The water is clear. The current is strong. Then the river grows. Other streams enter it. It becomes wide. It becomes powerful. But sometimes, as it grows, the water becomes muddy. The current slows down. Christianity can be compared to such a river. It began as a small stream of pure Gospel water. ...

Thursday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time 1 Corinthians 8:1b–7, 11–13 Imagine you are living in a Buddhist country. People bring large amounts of food to the temples. The temples cannot use all of it. You run a Christian orphanage, and you do not have enough food for the children. The monks offer to give you some of the food they received. Would you accept it? For some Christians, the answer would be simple: ...

Wednesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time 1 Corinthians 7:25–31 From chapter seven of the First Letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul begins to answer questions sent to him by the community. It is a little like an ancient “Ask the Priest.” The Corinthians ask about marriage, celibacy, faith, morality, and Christian life. Today, Paul speaks about marriage and celibacy. His answer is shaped by one deep conviction: time is short. ...

September 8, Tuesday Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Matthew 1:1–16, 18–23 Matthew begins his Gospel with a genealogy. For many readers, this may look like a dry list of names. But it is not dry. It is honest. Jesus is called the son of David and the son of Abraham. These two names are great names in the history of Israel. Abraham is the father of the people. ...

Monday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time 1 Corinthians 5:1–8 Every baptized person has died to sin and begun a new life for God. But this journey is not simple. Sin does not disappear in one day. Our old habits, our wounds, our pride, our desires, still fight within us. That is why Christian life is also a battle. A battle for truth. A battle for holiness. A battle for the life we received in Christ. ...

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Ezekiel 33:1, 7–9; Romans 13:8–10; Matthew 18:15–18 At first, today’s Gospel sounds like a procedure against a sinner. First, speak to the person privately. Then, if he does not listen, bring one or two others. Then, if he still refuses to listen, bring the matter before the community. And finally, Jesus says: “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” ...

Saturday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time 1 Corinthians 4:6b–15 Today Saint Paul gives us a sharp contrast. On one side, there are the Corinthians. They feel satisfied. They feel rich. They feel strong. They feel wise. They feel honorable. On the other side, there are the apostles. They are weak. They are despised. They are hungry and thirsty. They are poorly clothed. They have no secure home. They work with their hands. ...

Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time 1 Corinthians 4:1–5 The apostles were not founders of a new school of thought. They were not philosophers with followers and branches. They were servants of Christ. Saint Paul says: People should regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. This is important. Paul and Apollos were not owners of the Gospel. They were not owners of the Church. ...

Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church 1 Corinthians 3:18–23 In Saint Paul’s time, people often belonged to schools of thought. Some followed Plato. Some followed Zeno. Some followed other teachers who promised wisdom. Perhaps the Christians in Corinth began to think of the Church in the same way. Some said: I belong to Paul. Others said: ...

Wednesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time 1 Corinthians 3:1–9 Imagine two children playing peacefully. Then a new toy appears. Both want it. Only one can have it. The quarrel begins. One grabs it. The other cries. We understand this. They are children. They are still immature. But what happens when adults do the same? What happens when nations fight for land, resources, money, power, and influence? Shall we call this immaturity too? ...