The books of Ezra and Nehemiah describes, in an epic of faith, important moments of the restoration of the community of the People of God in the ancient land of the fathers after the Babylonian exile.

The two readings of today’s liturgy, Neh 2:1-8 and Mt 18:1-5,10, can be understood as fundamental expressions of a missionary spirituality for our time.

The prophecy of Zechariah 8:20-23 nourishes the hope of the people of God, who await its fulfillment in the universal pilgrimage of peoples to Jerusalem at the end of time (see Zec 8:22).

This story that Jesus told used to confuse me. On the one hand the rich man didn’t seem to do anything really harmful to someone else or “something really evil”, and yet he ends up in burning fire, excluded from Abraham’s bosom.

As I thought about this saying I tried to think about some Christian that I may have met in my 59 years of priestly ministry who was a slave of money. I could not think of a single person.

I’m struggling with a temptation this week to do a homily that I’ve already done on the 4th Sunday of Lent because its reading and today’s are the same. I could have just reprinted my homily on the Prodigal Son and it would still be absolutely alright.

For those, like me, who have ever played the game “Pokemon Go”, you might be able to relate with me. As far as I understand the game, you capture as many Pokemon monsters as you can.

Bless every father and grandfather with the best of your spiritual blessings today.

Father's Day can hold many emotions for both men and women - those who had a loving father that passed away, those who never knew their dad, those expectantly waiting to become a dad soon, and countless other situations ...

I feel blessed to admit there is very little need for comment in today’s readings. They speak for themselves!

In today’s Gospel the story is told of how one of Jesus’ followers asks him if many or only a few will be saved. Jesus does not give a direct answer.

At first reading of this Sunday’s Gospel, we might be seriously wondering what Jesus is talking about. We all thought that Jesus came to this world as a “Prince of Peace”.

The Gospel reading for this Sunday invites us to be ready and dressed for action. We remember the Gospel from last Sunday, where the rich man, seeing the bumper harvest he had, thinks of building bigger barns and store all the wealth to himself and doesn’t even give a second thought of sharing it with the other.

To borrow a story from a good friend of mine, Fr Bel San Luis, SVD, there was a man who wanted to have a lot of money so badly that he promised the devil to do his work in exchange for a copy of the newspaper a day ahead before it was published so that he could get the winning Lotto number in advance.

Prayer and our relationship with God has always been a great mystery to me as a Christian and as a priest.