My sheep listen to my voice—not commanding to execute, but a loving voice to rouse. Listening is the hospitality of Life. To do this, you must “open the ear of your heart,” according to the Rule of St Benedict. Our loved one’s voice touches the heart’s senses long before words take shape; it surrounds and…
The disciples, locked away in fear of the authorities, found themselves in an upper room shrouded in darkness that hardly resembled a home. The absence of the loving Jesus sacrificed in Calvary left a void, leaving only fear and shame as life seemed to fade away. Though it’s spring outside, they are trapped in a…
Easter is both a resounding surprise of life and a harmonious interweaving of cosmic signs: spring, full moon, the first day of the week, the first hour of the day. It shouts of a new start: a new week begins (just like in biblical Genesis), the day starts, the sun is new, and the light…
During the supreme days of Holy Week, the weight of time changes pace; the liturgy slows down, takes another breath, and calmly accompanies the last days of Jesus: from the entry into Jerusalem until Magdalene’s rush into the garden when she sees the tombstone clothed with angels. Sadly, hate for Jesus is growing, but he…
The Gospel, which means “Good News,” took a profound turn when religious leaders presented a tragic story about the murdered Galileans to Jesus. They work with an image of God as an angry judge with a heavy and unrelenting arm, thrashing many. Jesus’ answer is stark: stop imagining existence as a courtroom. There is no…
Jesus has just launched the “blessed are you” revolution into the lives of every human. Now, he unravels the first “how-to” instruction through an imperative: Love your enemies. You will do so at once, without waiting, not in response but in anticipation, not because that is how things are, but because you are the difference.…
Every time I approach the Gospel of the Beatitudes, I fear spoiling it with my words. I know I have not yet fully understood it; it surprises and escapes me. “The Sermon of the Mount” subtly challenges you and, by its power, unsettles you. I contemplate it like a painting, rekindling my longing for a…
This is how Jesus’ story with his disciples started: Fatigued fishermen, empty nets, and boats with no catch were pulled ashore; indeed, frustrating moments don’t feel conducive for Godly revelations. We expect to meet God over the pinnacle of the temple but not from the pulpit of a boat in Capernaum. He was not in…
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,” proclaimed Jesus; then, like in suspense movies: “all eyes were fixed on him.” The voice of Isaiah resounded vividly: words so ancient and so beloved, so prayed for and so longed for, so near and so far. The voice of Jesus gave it flesh, and scripture came…
Something has gone unnoticed at a seemingly big wedding: it has only started, and the wine comes up short. This is a rather unusual scene at a feast in Cana of Galilee: the groom is entirely unaware that the wine has run out at his celebration, the bride is not even mentioned by name, and…