I don’t think that we have to take the warning about drunkenness and carousing too much to heart. I would not expect that to be a pattern of behavior here at St. Francis Woods convent. However, the Gospel text also tells us that we should beware of the anxieties of daily life. Today is the last day of the liturgical year. Tomorrow is the first Sunday of Advent. For those who are...

In the ancient world, the time before Jesus Christ, the children of Israel were often dominated by neighboring countries with great armies. At different times, they experienced such domination from the Babylonian, Persian, Median, and Hellenistic kingdoms. The visions of Daniel, the hero of this book, are related to King Nebuchadnezzar, a great Babylonian king who ruled for 22 years. The first...

About all we know for sure about Andrew is in today’s Gospel text and also in a reference to John 1:40-41. There, unlike today’s Gospel text from Matthew, it is Andrew who calls Simon Peter and tells him, “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41). Celebrating feasts of the apostles, whether we know particulars of their lives or not, prompts us to think of how the Good...

The first reading for the Feast of All Saints of the Seraphic Order comes to us from the book of Sirach. These lines were written as an introduction to a series of eulogies that appear in chapters 44 through 50 of this book of the Scriptures. These lines emphasize the wealth, the fidelity, the posterity and the wisdom of the ancestors of Israel. Each of these elements was considered a cause...

Today’s Scripture readings speak of an important historical reality, one of which I believe we are all aware. Earthly kingdoms, very much like the men and women who rule over them, do not last forever. This is especially true if the kingdom in question is in opposition to the Kingdom of God. As the Wisdom Literature of the Scriptures tells us, all created things are but grass which...