This Sunday's lectionary reading for Year A, Epiphany 3, is Matt 4.12–23. The epistle is 1 Cor 1.10–18, where Paul gets into ...

When I was 18 years old, I enlisted to serve in the US Navy. My parents, particularly my father, were quite proud of me. I remember leaving, going through MEPS (the military entrance processing ...

When Jesus calls to a group of fishermen at the Sea of Galilee, they leave everything behind to follow him. The story is simple, but powerful. What was it about this man and his invitation that ...

Jesus called the disciples to follow him and to place everything, without reserve, in the service of the reign of God. But does that mean he wanted to call all Israel to discipleship? Was it his goal ...

Today’s Gospel comes in two sizes: the short version (Matthew 4:12-17) and the long version (Matthew 4:12-23). I strongly encourage priests to add the extra 45 seconds and use the long version. There ...

After being rejected and nearly killed in Jerusalem, Jesus returned to Galilee. He toured all the towns and villages, teaching in the synagogues and healing the sick. As a mature rabbi, Jesus called a ...

It’s interesting how the gospel of Matthew has Jesus begin his ministry. Jesus starts by preaching, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is near”… “Change, come be a part of the Kingdom”; then right ...

Once again, we have lessons that are intended to help us understand how to be a disciple of Jesus -- what it means to follow Jesus. To put this in context, it's good to remember from the last couple ...