When a sculptor works, he hammers and chisels to reveal the image that is already in the stone, but hidden. This is what God did in the life of Timothy, and what He does in our lives today, in order to reveal the image of God in us.
While imprisoned in Caesarea, St. Paul, influenced by the medical expertise of his companion Luke, contemplates the armor of the soldier guarding him.
The unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace is certainly the gift of God. But St. Paul considers a great deal of human effort to be necessary for its maintenance. It does not take care of itself. Fr. Pat fleshes this out.
In Ephesians 2:14-22, St. Paul references the psychological, social, and historical aspects of the faith. Fr. Pat offers reflections on these.
"Neighbor" is not a matter of being, but of doing. Fr. Pat reflects on this in today's homily from Luke 10 about the Good Samaritan.
Based on today’s readings from Galatians 6 and Luke 16, Fr. Pat talks about Abraham and his true children.
In the parable of the sower and his seed from Luke 8, we learn about parables themselves, and as with all parables, we’re admonished to find ourselves in Jesus’ words.
Will we be judged by history? Is a thing wrong because those who are in power say it’s wrong? Fr. Pat looks at Jesus’ words about the Last Judgment from Matthew 25.
The radical path taken by Peter, James, and John in Luke 5 to forsake all and follow Christ is a path for us as well. It has has a fundamental effect on our imagination and memory, our approach to knowledge, and our relationship to truth.
The Cross of Christ addresses the human condition. On the Sunday before the Elevation of the Holy Cross Fr. Pat examines three traits of the human condition.
At the foot of the mount of transfiguration, we find out what we’re made of.
Christ is the Living Center of the Church, and He does not abandon His Church. The big question is whether we will cling to Him, or get distracted by something else.
Fr. Pat examines the three steps that St. Paul takes in Romans to illustrate the theme of "receiving one another as Christ receives us."
Fr. Pat compares the three parables from Matthew 13:44-53, finding gems in the field, in the market, in the stars, in the sea, and in us.
The opening verses of Romans 5 are not about moral improvement; they are about God’s dealings in our lives: as God did with Abraham, He tests us that we might have patience toward Him who "makes all things work together unto good."
Fr. Pat provides brief reflections on three parables from Matthew 24:36-26:2; the Parable of the Faithful and Evil Servants, the Parable of the Ten Virgins, and the Parable of the Talents.
Building on his homily from last week, Fr. Pat discusses an example of the authority of darkness, and encourages us with reminders of both Christ’s prayer for us, and of our fellowship with each other.
In this homily from the Sunday of the Man Born Blind, Fr. Pat considers with us light and darkness, both in this story and in our lives.
Father Pat looks at the encounter with the Samaritan woman through the lens of Jesus' statement “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6)
In this homily given on Great and Holy Thursday, we meditate with Fr. Pat both on the encounters that Moses, Job, and Isaiah had with God, and on Jesus’ agony in the garden, and the significance of these various events as they pertain to our daily practice.
On St. Thomas Sunday Fr. Pat considers the theological meaning of memory, the quality of the event of the Church, and the challenge of that event.
In this homily from Palm Sunday, Fr. Pat fortifies us on our journey with three points about the Cross: two negative and one positive.
In Mark 9, just after the Transfiguration, Jesus addresses the faith of the crowds surrounding the disciples as well as that of a man whose son He then heals. As we look toward the last weeks of Lent, Fr. Pat helps us think about our own faith.
To follow Christ is first to be understood in a literal and existential way. It is not a diminishing of observance, it’s the augmentation of observance. We profess our allegiance to Christ, and our commitment to His Lordship.
In the encounter in Mark 2, the paralytic encounters the One in whom the presence and power of God is revealed; the One from Whom no secrets are hid, Who pardons all our iniquities and heals all our diseases.
What does Biblical repentance look like? Is it saying, "I made a mistake" or "I take full responsibility"? Is it looking at one's moral failure and being disgusted? Fr. Pat gives us a third response, as exemplified by the Prodigal Son.
"The religious impulse is as natural to human beings as the intake of oxygen." In this homily based on the story of the Publican and the Pharisee in Luke 18, Fr. Pat reflects upon the soul's innate attraction to God.
Father Pat looks at what we can learn about prayer from the story of the Syrophoenician woman found in Matthew 15. This is part one of a two-part series.
Because in creation man was modeled on the deliberating mind of God, he has a capacity for conscience. The Samaritan Woman escaped the condemnation of her conscience because she permitted her heart to receive the mercy of God in Christ.
Fr. Pat preaches on putting to death our passions, as St. Paul admonishes us to do in Colossians 3:4-11.
