Browsing Thoughts from Fr. Bob
Christ the King - November 26, 2023
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 11/20/23
Today we are given the chance of a lifetime, a preview of what we will face at the end of time, straight from the lips of the one who will come in glory on that day. This is Christ the King, who rules over God’s creation. This entire year, ... Read More »
33rd Sunday in OT - November 19, 2023
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 11/13/23
Someone once said, “There are no small parts, only small actors.” Even actors with seemingly insignificant roles put everything they have into the part. In our Gospel, both the servant who was given only two talents and the one who got but one seemed to have only bit roles ... Read More »
32nd Sunday in OT - November 12, 2023
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 11/08/23
On this day in the middle of November, the month in which we remember in a special way all those who have died, let us reflect on our baptism. When we were baptized in Christ, we were baptized into his death. Therefore, we are with the Lord in life ... Read More »
31st Sunday in OT - November 5, 2023
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 11/02/23
In our first reading today, Malachi asks “Have we not all the one father? Has not the one God created us?” Indeed we all have the same Father in heaven, as Jesus points out in the Gospel. We have all been created by God. This should give us some ... Read More »
30th Sunday in OT - October 29, 2023
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 10/25/23
It’s easy to look forward and look kindly upon our family and friends and the neighbors and co-workers, and classmates we know. In the same way it is easy to look away from or look down upon those who are strangers to us, especially those who seem most unlike ... Read More »
29th Sunday in OT - October 22, 2023
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 10/19/23
In today’s Gospel, some of the Pharisees seek to entrap Jesus, asking him a question designed to get him in trouble with either the religious or government authorities. But Jesus finds a clever way to answer sensibly and safely. Had Caesar heard his answer, he would have been pleased ... Read More »
28th Sunday in OT - October 15, 2023
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 10/11/23
Today we hear Jesus tell the story of a king who invites everyone he can find to a feast for his son. Every Sunday, we are invited to a feast where we receive God’s Son. Many weekends we take the invitation for granted or see it only as some ... Read More »
27th Sunday in OT - October 8, 2023
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 10/03/23
Like the last few Sundays, the readings today speak of a vineyard. It is an excellent time of the year to contemplate a vineyard, vines heavy with grapes waiting to be harvested. But when Jesus speaks in parables, each element stands for something else. The vineyard is our very ... Read More »
26th Sunday in OT - October 1, 2023
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 9/27/23
It certainly does seem unfair that a virtuous and good person can be undone by a single instance of sin. Ezekiel insists in our first reading, that the Lord does not see it as we do. It is wise to use this example as a reminder to not be ... Read More »
25th Sunday in OT - September 24, 2023
Posted by Fr Bob Betz on 9/20/23
In today’s parable Jesus tells his disciples the story of a landowner and the workers he hires. But as we know, the symbolism of a parable stands for something else. The landowner represents God, we are the workers, and the vineyard is the world. What’s the work and customary ... Read More »