The Spirit Gives Freedom As Well As Responsibility Thoughts on the Gospels -Joe The Feast of Pentecost John 14:15-16, 23-26 Not long ago I was in a conversation with several long-time Catholic friends. The topic, as is not unusual these days, was authority: what is it, who has it, who doesn’t and how it should [...]

Faith: Its Freedom and Its Consequences Thoughts on the Gospels -Joe 7th Sunday of Easter John 17:20-26 Jesus once said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” For us who are trying to follow Jesus’ [...]

Searching For Jesus? Look For His Spirit Thoughts on the Gospels -Joe 6th Sunday of Easter John 14:23-29 In this week’s gospel Jesus says that those who have come to love him will keep his word. His comment may sound backwards, but it isn’t. As a rule, we pay closer attention to folks we find [...]

God Is There For The World – Always Thoughts on the Gospels -Joe 5th Sunday of Easter John 13:31-33, 34-35 It strains the imagination to think that anyone acquainted with the process would ever think of crucifixion as glorifying. It was an execution designed to terrorize a population into submission. It was prolonged, public, excruciating, [...]

An Open Armed: An Opened Armed People Thoughts on the Gospels – Joe 4th Sunday of Easter John 10:27-30 It makes no sense for us, as members of a faith community, to ask others to do what we don’t model ourselves. As the tough army sergeant in movies used to say, “I never ask my [...]