In today's Gospel we have a couple important images of Jesus: He goes to the mountain from which vantage point he can see the storm the disciples are caught in (as well as the storms of my life!). And he goes to walk in the midst of that storm and reveals himself to his disciples. May we take comfort that Jesus (1) sees and knows everything I am going through, and that He (2) comes to be with me in the midst of the storm.

In the Gospel today Jesus arrives at a deserted place in order to be free of the crowds and to grieve and pray after learning of the death of John the Baptist. In this compromised human state, he discovers the crowds have followed him, and he immediately begins ministering to them. The loaves and fishes are similar. On its face this offering is much too small and poor to make any difference. Yet God uses this pathetic little offering that the disciples make to feed a multitude. How can we discover and embrace this dynamic in our own life?

In this last installment of our summer series on Mary, we explore the Scriptures to discover how the relationship between Jesus and Mary reveals Mary's unique role in the Church!

What does it mean for us to call Mary the "Immaculate Conception", and what evidence is there that this is the case? We reflect on how Mary's sinlessness does not make her less human but more human -- the human being and woman -- the "New Eve" -- exactly as God intended the human person to be.

Today's parable of the weeds and the wheat is perplexing in that the master doesn't choose to uproot the (evil) weeds right away but rather insists that they be left until harvest. He explains that this is for the sake of the health of the wheat. In our own lives, too, God permits some evil to bring about a greater good.

In this summer school reflection, we go through Luke chapter 1 and 2 to reflect on the person of Mary as portrayed in the Bible.

As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our Nation's founding, we reflect on how Gospel values -- together with the freedom to live them out -- can make Christians the best citizens.

In today's challenging Gospel Jesus tells us that we have to love Him about our parents, children, and anybody and anything else in our life. Do we? On it's face this might seem like an unjust demand, but if we consider who God is -- a Communion of Love -- then we understand that by loving God first all of our other loves will fall into their proper place.

In today's second reading from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans, the Apostle reminds us that death was not a part of God's plan for the human person from the beginning. Rather, it was a consequence of sin. Thus as original sin is passed down to each human being, so is the necessity of bodily death. But Paul reminds us that there is no tragedy here, since in Jesus, God has sent a New Adam to undo what was done in the Garden. And one day, in the bodily resurrection, we will experience the amazing gift that God's mercy gives us: A new and indestructible life completely free from death ... and the possibility of ever sinning again.

The Gospels make it clear that as soon as Jesus's miraculous powers became known he was constantly surrounded by people. Some of these people were opportunists who were simply hoping to witness a miracle themselves. But many of the people following Jesus were aware of a deep need they or a loved one had for healing. They were needy people! Today's Gospel shows us what was Jesus's response to those needy people -- not frustration or irritation but rather compassionate love. May we always approach Jesus confidently whenever we experience any need!