A Jewish woman who survived the concentration camps tells the story of the train ride to Auschwitz. She was with her little brother…and she looked down at him on the train and noticed that he didn’t have any shoes on. And she screamed at him, “What is WRONG with you? Can’t you keep you things …
Category Archive: scripture
Dec
28
Holy Innocents
Today is the feast of the Holy Innocents, for those not aware, the Holy Innocents are the children who were slaughtered by King Herod who, in his madness, was trying to make sure he killed the newborn King, by killing all male babies in the vicinity. It’s a horrible story. Joseph takes Jesus and Mary …
Dec
16
We Need to Be John the Baptist Today
Many people say that words fail us during these times of great challenge, when parents can’t even send their kids to kindergarten. I respectfully disagree. I can say that many of us don’t know what to say during times when horrendous situations befall us, and to protect ourselves from saying something stupid, we say nothing. …
Nov
19
When It Seems Like the Stars are Falling Out of the Sky
Here is a reflection from last night’s apocalyptic Sunday readings: Hey! What’s new? That can be a catch up line…But “what’s new” can also be scary. After all, who knows what day it will be when our world ends? The Mayans tell us that the world will end of December 21, 2012 at 11:11 …I’m …
Oct
01
To Whom Would You Give Your Right Arm?
A dental student last year asked one of his classmates a provocative question before their big gross anatomy test. “Linda, would you cut off your “ring finger toe” in exchange for an “A” on this test?” I quickly pointed out that if he was about to take an anatomy test and the only way he …
Sep
18
Then Jesus said, “My Wife”?
Did Jesus marry? At least one historian is claiming a definite maybe. From today’s NYT: CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — A historian of early Christianity at Harvard Divinity School has identified a scrap of papyrus that she says was written in Coptic in the fourth century and contains a phrase never seen in any piece of Scripture: …
Sep
13
But I Don’t Wanna…
Do you ever read the Gospel and hear words that you just don’t want to hear? Today perhaps is no different: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on …
Aug
30
The 3rd Week: Stay with Him
In the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius the third week of the exercises are focused on the transformative experience of the cross. We reflect directly on the experience of the cross in our lives and often meditate imaginatively on Calvary. A friend of mine once felt like he was stuck in the third week on …
Aug
25
Do We Wish to Leave? A Reflection on Sunday’s Readings 8/26
Many people leave the Catholic Church for a variety of reasons–in fact there are even some good ones. And that saddens me, our church, a human institution rife with flaws is sometimes not the best place. But what saddens me more–is that people even within the church leave as well. They leave behind some of …
Aug
13
Holding on to a Taxing Agenda
Today’s Gospel gives us a bit to chew on from Matthew When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said, “Does not your teacher pay the temple tax?” “Yes,” he said. When he came into the house, before he had time to speak, Jesus asked him, “What is your …
About the Blogger
Mike Hayes is an author, commentator, Campus Minister and Spiritual Director. He founded the award winning BustedHalo.com in 2001 and wrote the book Googling God with Paulist Press in 2007. Mike is currently a Campus Minister at The University at Buffalo where he serves on the staff of St Joseph University Church. He is available for speaking engagements, retreats and personal spiritual direction.
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