by Father John P. Cush WE HAVE BEEN reading over the past four weeks from the Evangelist John’s sixth chapter, the Bread of Life Discourse. In light of these readings, all of which are ultimately about the Eucharist, we have been discussing the context of this section of the Johannine Gospel, as well as […]
Sunday Scriptures
Believe in What You Receive — The Real Presence in the Eucharist
by Father John P. Cush We have been reading as the Gospel at Mass over the past few Sundays from the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel, the Bread of Life Discourse. In these columns, we have begun a study of these Johannine inserts into the Marcan Gospel cycle and, to date, we have firmly placed […]
Delving Deeper in the Faith and Applying It to Daily Life
WHEN WE LEFT off last week, we were looking at this extended passage from which we are reading over the next several weeks, namely the Bread of Life Discourse in the fourth Gospel. The Evangelist, John, places this selection firmly in the middle of the first part of his Gospel, what most scripture scholars call […]
Understanding the Gift of the Eucharist Through John’s Eyes
by Father John P. Cush Over the next five weeks, we will be reading from the Gospel of John. Normally in the readings offered to us for our reflection in this current liturgical cycle (Year B), we have the opportunity to read from the Gospel of Mark. The Marcan Gospel, as you probably know, is […]
Prayerfully Searching for Shepherd Heroes of the New Millennium
by Father John Cush For the past eight years, I was truly blessed to be on the faculty at one of the most amazing places in the world. For the greater part of a decade, I was given the true gift of serving as a priest in a unique institution. Whether it was in the […]
First Impressions Can Be Limiting
by Father John Cush JESUS CAUSES quite a bit of scandal in today’s Gospel reading taken from the sixth chapter of Mark’s Gospel. The people who have known Jesus since His early life, those who have seen Him grow up and those who know His family, simply can’t believe He’s doing what He’s doing right […]
No Fear! Jesus the Doctor Is Near
by Father John Cush I have to admit that I hate going to the doctor. I am the very worst type of patient. One might describe me as a doctor’s nightmare. I am the living epitome of the old adage that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Armed with the Internet and with watching […]
Life Without Growth Reaps Little Fruit
by Msgr. Joseph Calise In the very first year of my very first assignment, the pastor gave me an awesome responsibility. As young and new as I was to the ministry, I was not only to moderate Bingo, but I was to start up a program. It had been many years since there was a […]
Food Gives Life to the Body
by Msgr. Joseph Calise Before HBO and Direct TV, we had seven channels (if you counted Channel 13 as a real channel) and no remote. When I was a kid, TV was not about sex and violence but about education and family entertainment. One popular figure was Art Linkletter, host of both House Party (which […]
Three in One Not Easy to Explain
by Msgr. Joseph Calise I was ordained a deacon 33 years ago by His Eminence Laurence Cardinal Sheehan in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at the North American College in Rome. It was coincidentally the Thursday before the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity which meant that the mystery we celebrate today was the […]