Grassroots Empowerment

Among the many things that bind the people of Israel together to this day is their shared history: their homeland, their experience of the Exodus, and their enduring faith in God. In today’s first reading (Exodus 22:20-26), Moses recalls certain ethical obligations that remind the Israelites of their responsibility toward the vulnerable, drawing upon their

God works in mysterious ways, often through people and circumstances we never imagine. Sometimes, we may find it hard to see how God works through someone who does not believe in or acknowledge Him. Nevertheless, that is precisely what makes God’s ways so remarkable! Through the prophet Isaiah (55:8-9), God reminds us that His ways

I have always enjoyed opportunities to dine out and spend time with family and friends. Such occasions are especially delightful when the timing is convenient, allowing me to relax and enjoy the experience. Unfortunately, invitations sometimes come at inconvenient times, when personal comfort and pleasure must give way to other commitments. When I reflect on

The key idea during this weekend’s liturgical celebration is that God cares for all of us with boundless patience and love, as much as He looks out for us to bear the rightful fruit of justice and grace. We find this overriding theme prominent in both the first reading from Isaiah (5:1-7) and Matthew (21:33-43).

I focus my reflection this weekend on a pericope from St. Matthew’s gospel, in the Parable of the Two Sons (21:28-32), which highlights the profound contrast between superficial compliance to the law and genuine repentance (a metanoia from the heart). In that gospel, while the second son gave a polite, immediate agreement to work in

Among other things, the liturgical readings for this weekend tell us to seek the Lord while He may be found. They also urge us to call upon Him while He is near (Isaiah 55:6-9). Reflecting on those lines, I discover a close reminder that there is a time for everything. Every person is given sufficient

We all err, and I can tell you it happens often and sometimes deeply. It is difficult to find anyone who has nothing to make right in someone else’s life. That is why this Sunday’s readings place anger, wrath, debt, mercy, and forgiveness before us. Sirach (27:30-28:7) reminds us that holding on to anger while

Life in America works differently. Independence is an individual thing, and it extends to personal spaces. I work in the hospital, and occasionally I find it embarrassing when I see some parents’ nonchalant attitudes toward their children’s welfare. Without considering the risk of infection, some parents bring their children to visit a family member or

I’ve sometimes had problems with outcomes after I resigned myself to someone doing something right, only to find they failed to do so. Today’s first reading echoes such a situation, but positively, after the Prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:7-9) felt deceived by God, even though he had submitted his will to being so “duped.” Nevertheless, despite

When we live with a sense of purpose, we see our lives and responsibilities differently. In this weekend’s Bible passages, even with eventual recognition, the contrasting experiences of Shebna and Eliakim in the first reading (Isaiah 22:19-23) remind us that positions, privileges, and opportunities are ultimately entrusted to us for a purpose. Shebna loses his

God seems to be proclaiming through the outstretched arms of Jesus Christ on the Cross a message that knows no bounds of race, nationality, culture, or social position (John 12:32). Long before the coming of Christ, Isaiah announced this universal invitation when it was declared that foreigners who join themselves to the Lord and remain

Although I was never particularly a fan of him, Dino Melaye’s (a Nigerian politician) well-known statement captures an important truth about prophetic witness: “If you speak, you are killed; if you don’t speak, you get killed too.” These words, which were not an invitation to seek suffering, serve as a reminder that silence in the