Mary M. McGlone

“The people were filled with expectation.” That is how Luke described the excitement around John the Baptist.

Scripture for Life: Jesus' response to his baptism reminds us that the ceremony is but one tiny moment, the meaning of which is determined by how we live it out. Observing him, we realize that baptism does not give us a status but a mission. 

What would happen if a group of Romanian Gypsies or Afghan Muslims showed up at the parish or chancery, announcing that they had come to find the reformer who was about to make our church into what it ought to be?

Scripture for Life: This liturgy urges us to listen to the seekers who want more than they have found in conventional religion. Emmanuel is still waiting to be discovered in what we might think are the most unlikely places, and by the most unlikely people.

The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace! What better way to begin the new year than with this blessing? The Virgin Mother herself probably heard it pronounced over her and her people.

The fifth joyful mystery of the rosary meditates on the story of finding Jesus in the Temple. It could also be called the first of Mary’s “mysteries of protest.”

Scripture for Life: The fifth joyful mystery of the rosary meditates on the story of finding Jesus in the Temple. It could also be called the first of Mary's "mysteries of protest."

Everybody is bustling, getting ready for Christmas. Did you ever wonder what the preparations for the first Christmas looked like from the vantage point of eternity?

Scripture for Life: Everybody is getting ready for Christmas. Did you ever wonder what the preparations for the first Christmas looked like from the vantage point of eternity?

I wonder if Luke had tongue in cheek when he wrote the conclusion to his description of John the Baptist. From Luke’s picture, it seems that although John made clear demands on everybody, the poor got the worst of it.

Scripture for Life: Metanoia is an approach that both hopes and works for the time when things will be as God created them to be. John the Baptist pointed out what that looks like in action.

“The word of God came to John … in the desert.” On this Second Sunday of Advent, unless we live in an area such as the Southwest U.S., the desert is probably about as far from our imaginations as a herd of camels. In today's Gospel, Luke wants us to think about the desert and why John was there instead of protesting around the palace or preaching in the Temple.

Scripture for Life: The desert is where our soul finds room to expand, where we can remember what we really thirst for. This is the desert we can choose when we want its blessing.

Scripture for Life: What are we celebrating with today's feast? Some say that when Pope Pius XI established the feast of Christ the King in 1925, he wanted to combat secularism and also, some say, to remind the nations of Europe that the Catholic Church remained more important than political realms. 

Scripture for Life: The Book of Daniel and Mark's Gospel invite us into the apocalyptic mindset, a point of view that proclaims that the worst of times will give birth to the best of times. Apocalypse simply means revelation or "uncovering."

Scripture for Life: Have you ever cringed at least a little at the story of the widow's mite? Did you ever wonder if Jesus really wanted a poor, vulnerable woman to "give her whole livelihood" to the Temple treasury?

Scripture for Life: Today's Gospel tells the unusual story of a nice encounter between Jesus and a scribe. Whether or not the man started out as a sincere questioner, he and Jesus hit it off as they exchanged theological opinions. 

Scripture for Life: The image that might best portray eleison-mercy is what the father in Luke 15 gave his prodigal son: He didn't simply forgive him but brought him home and gave him a position from which he could be a truer son than he had ever been before.

Scripture for Life: Today's readings beg the question: "Disciple, just who do you think you are?" The true answer comes from knowing what we seek and the company we keep.

Scripture for Life: Today's Gospel reminds us that every Christian is called to participate in Jesus' mission. That call is personal and unique, tailored to the gifts and needs of each person. Each is free to accept or reject it. It calls forth much more than praying an extra psalm or wearing a scapular.