The First Shall Be Last

We all want to be first. From our earliest days, we jockey for the prize. Mom’s affection, a gold trophy, bragging rights: you name it, we want it first. Rivalry courses through our veins, and it boils when heated by … Continue reading

Call and Response

As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him (Mt 9:9). We hear little else about the apostle Matthew from the … Continue reading

Faith Sees the Glory

“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (Jn 1:46). Such was the initial reaction to Jesus of the man we remember today, the man who, tradition tells us, would eventually surrender his very skin in testimony to Christ. Saint Bartholomew, also … Continue reading

You Don’t Know What You’re Asking

Swish! Swish! Swish! lap the waves. 12:15 AM reads the my watch beneath the silver star light. What am I looking for? What do I want? I think to myself as I knead the sand with my toes.   Beep! … Continue reading

I Have Called You Friends

The only apostle who died before the Resurrection of Jesus was the one who betrayed him, Judas Iscariot. The mission of Judas’ apostolic office went unfulfilled, and the number of apostles fell to eleven. After Christ’s Ascension into heaven, however, … Continue reading