Fr. Bob’s Weekly Reflections

Christmas can sneak up on us while we are caught up in the mad whirl of shopping and parties, and then be gone without a trace. Too often, by the time December 25th arrives we are fed up with elves and reindeer, sick of Christmas music and tired of jaded decorations.

It should be no secret to anyone that we do not know the date of Christ’s birth, and so the Church baptized a Pagan feast.

In today’s Gospel, we have an ironic scene. The irony was lost on most of the bystanders: God himself was standing a prisoner before a representative of the superpower of the day.

November is a strange time of year. Trees have finally lost their leaves, but winter’s snow has not come full force.

A famous pediatric cancer doctor at a well-known children’s hospital in London was being given an award. He started the pediatric cancer research center, but he was also known for his kindness and compassion.

A man in his 30s came to St. Christopher’s Inn seeking help. He was a lawyer, and appeared successful. I asked him what made him come into treatment, and he replied that he been drinking for years and years.

The Blind Man. In our Gospel today we have a blind beggar, Bartimaeus, and he hears that Jesus is walking by. This is his chance, perhaps his only chance, to speak with this miracle worker. So he calls out, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”

Whoever wishes to be great among you, will be your servant. I’ve recently been meeting with college business students, and this is what they are saying: “I want to write my own ticket. High Tech is a wide-open field.”

The Camel It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. The disciples were amazed at Jesus’ words.

On a serious subject like marriage, and a tragic one like divorce, you cannot be simplistic or judgmental. Divorce is everywhere, claiming almost half the marriages in our time.