Proper 7/Father's Day—June 21, 2026

Proper 7/Father's Day—June 21, 2026

Fr. Grady confronts the reality of persecution, first the persecution of the prophet Jeremiah, and then of the disciples of Christ. Nevertheless, Jesus encourages his followers that they should have no fear. Like the disciples, godly fathers are also charged to proclaim the truth of God from the rooftops, though such a proclamation has always and is now likely to provoke persecution.

Proper 6—June 14, 2026

Today is a turning point in the Gospel of Matthew. Fr. Jeff reads the drama of the Gospel as unfolding along two parallel tracks: on the one hand, it becomes more and more clear who Jesus is; on the other hand, people's reaction to who Jesus is becomes more and more polarized. Jesus sends out the twelve to the twelve tribes of Israel, and he predicts that they will not always be warmly accepted. Those who refuse to accept the disciple of Christ refuse to accept Christ himself, a lesson that is anticipated by a stern lesson from the book of Genesis, to which Jesus refers.

Corpus Christi—June 7, 2026

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Corpus Christi, which has been a universal commemoration of the real presence of Christ in the sacramental bread and wine since 1264. Fr. Jeff guides us through John chapter 6, which contains numerous scandalous utterances by Jesus, including his assertion that he is the bread that came down from heaven. The language of the mass refers no fewer than three times to the truth of Corpus Christi: that we become one body with Christ and he becomes one body with us by participation in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is therefore not something we take a break from life to do; it is our life.

Feast of the Ascension—May 17, 2026

We affirm the reality of the Ascension every week in the Nicene Creed, but the Ascension is probably the most neglected and misunderstood part of the incarnate life of Jesus. Fr. Jeff accounts for how Jesus can be going back to his Father at the Ascension despite having never been separated from his Father. One way to understand this is Thomas Aquinas's idea of the persons of the Trinity being on mission, which he describes as being "present in a new way." Just as Jesus never really left his Father, and has now has been present with us, he never really left us either.

Easter 6—May 10, 2026

The Gospel reading for today features the New Testament's only reference to the Holy Spirit as an "advocate," or literally someone who is called alongside another. Fr. Jeff distinguishes between the ways John uses different terms for the Holy Spirit, and even refers to different works of the Holy Spirit, depending on whether Jesus is teaching publicly about the Spirit or whether he is teaching privately to his disciples about the time to come after his Ascension. Ultimately the Spirit is the key to three related ideas: communication, community, and communion.