Category Archives: Fr. Bob’s Weekly Reflections

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.

Mark 9:38-48What did the passage from Mark mean back then, when it fell from the lips of Jesus? Jesus was not recommending mutilation.

If I were to stop you and ask you to describe a successful person, I dare say most of you would think in terms of income. Success for most of us means income and wealth, and financial prosperity means success in our society.

Who Do You Say that I Am? There is an interesting question in today’s Gospel: Who do you say that I am? Have you ever tried to answer the question, who do you think Jesus is?

Jesus seems to be doing some strange things. We read in the Gospel time and time again that Jesus just touched a person to cure them, or said, “Be cured. Your faith has made you whole.” Today we see Jesus spitting and touching a man’s tongue.