Matthew 7:1-9, Second Sunday of Lent Many things can be said about the event of the Transfiguration of our Lord. It is literally Jesus’ “brief shining moment”–when his divinity, just for that moment, shines through. It astonishes his select disciples, but before they knew it, the moment was gone. In his letter to the Philippians,…
Category: Author: Johnny Go, SJ
The Devil Leaves No Stone Unturned – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 4:1-11, First Sunday of Lent In the desert our Lord Jesus undergoes three temptations. One of them seems out of place. One doesn’t seem to belong with the other two. Can you tell which one? Let’s review the three temptation. In the first temptation, our Lord is tempted to sate his hunger–a hunger that…
Do you Catastrophize? – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 6:24-34, Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord Jesus repeats what is probably God’s favorite message in the Bible: “Do not be afraid!” Think of the times when God showed up for the first time before his prophets–or when He sent His angel Gabriel to Mary at the Annunciation, or…
Who is my Enemy – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 5:38-48, Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Did you flinch when you just heard the Lord say, “Love your enemies”? My theory is that, if you didn’t, it’s probably because you didn’t hear what he’s trying to tell us today. Or, you didn’t really think of your enemies. “Who is my enemy?” you might ask….
Slippery Slope – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 5-17:37, Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord raises the bar beyond our usual moral comfort zones. It’s not enough that we don’t commit murder, he tells his listeners. Treating others with anger is sin enough. It’s great that we’re not committing adultery, he continues. But the bad news is,…
Whose Blessings – Johnny Go, SJ
Mark 34:35-41, Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time For me, it’s not easy to read the Beatitudes–not to mention to preach about it. Maybe it’s because in the Beatitudes, our Lord Jesus blesses the very people the world considers cursed. Consider his list: the poor in spirit the mourners the meek those who seek justice the…
One King and a Convoy of Tourists – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 2:1-12, Solemnity of the Epiphany Finding out that the three kings were neither three nor royalty was not quite as traumatic as that other life-changing discovery about Santa Claus. But to whomever thought of coming up with the three kings–what were you thinking? For years, we staged Nativity plays that religiously featured them with…
His Silence Invites Us – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 1:18-24 Today we listen to the story of the silent man of the Gospel. All through the Infancy Narrative, Joseph, the chosen foster father of Jesus, speaks not a word. Even the father of John the Baptist, the priest Zechariah, who was stricken temporarily mute by the angel, at least manages to get two…
Choosing Joy – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 11:2-11, Third Sunday of Advent I don’t know if you noticed it, but that’s a pretty strange exchange of messages between our Lord and John the Baptist. First of all, John the Baptist requests his disciples to ask our Lord a bizarre question. Thrown into prison for denouncing the sins of Herod Antipas, John…
The World in your Suitcase – Johnny Go, SJ
Luke 1:26-38, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Just when I thought I had seen the best and last of J.K. Rowling, she surprises us with a wonderful prequel to the Harry Potter series called “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” Its protagonist, Newt (played by Eddie Redmayne in the film),…
Finding Noah’s Ark – Johnny Go, SJ
Matthew 24:37-44, First Sunday of Advent For many of us these days, despair is a real temptation. Some of us have actually sworn to keep away from our newsfeed and just get ourselves inebriated in premature Christmas carols. Can the news in the country, in the US, and in the world get any worse? And…
Silence is an Endangered Species – Johnny Go, SJ
Luke 18:1-8, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time There was a time in my life when prayer felt like second nature. Whenever I was stuck in traffic, I would simply shut the world out and quietly say my rosary. Not only did I get the chance to pray for people who asked for prayers, but I…
One Lost Sheep 