Today we are treated to two parables, similar yet different. Jesus speaks of two different treasures. One man is seeking the treasure actively. Another simply finds it, apparently serendipitously. The reaction of both men is similar. They rejoice. They sell what they have. They purchase the treasure.
Finding something for which we are looking or stumbling upon something we knew...
By coincidence, this July 30 when we celebrate the memorial of St. Peter Chrysologus (Peter the Golden-Worded), the Gospel relates Jesus' explanation of the Parable of the Sower and the Seed. St. Peter was known for his short homilies delivered in clear language. Perhaps he was following the example we find in St. Matthew's Gospel in this instance.
As is always the case with...
As a former English teacher, I have come to regard skill in writing about characters as an important part of narrative writing. Characterization not only paints a picture in the reader's mind's eye; it also moves the story along, advances the plot and makes the narrative more tangible. When books are turned into movies, the author's ability to flesh out a character is forever changed. Our...
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator
Today we remember the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saints Joachim and Anne (or Anna). These names come to us from the Protoevangelium of James, one of the apocryphal gospels. This particular document dates back to the 2nd Century. The names of the parents of the Blessed Virgin are never mentioned in the four Gospels of the...