http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/pope0261i.htm The above takes you to the speech of Pope John XXIII which I referenced in today's homily. We all seek meaning in the span of days which is ours. We trust in the one sacrifice of Jesus, as discussed in today's passage from the Letter to the Hebrews.

Money is the reward for our personal labors, and we consider the disposition of our money to be quite a personal (and painful!) undertaking. We seek to trust that, if we are devoted to the Kingdom of God, we will discover that God is more devoted to us than we had imagined.

Human history is loaded with anonymity. Think of your multiple-great grandparents whose names you do not know. Think also of how Christian faith was passed on to you, and realize the greater difficulty of tracing your faith-genealogy. All Saints is about the witness of anonymous people, upon whom we depend absolutely for the gift of faith.

James and John last week did not perceive what Bartimaeus this week does perceive: that before one makes elaborate plans for the future, one must make sure of the way that he is traveling.

Christians must not settle for "generic religion," but must plumb the depths of the shocking, personal nature of faith in Jesus Christ.

Fr. Kevin has given this talk dozens of times to engaged couples; it's time he recorded it so he won't have to keep giving it.

The Word of God cuts through joints and marrow. We are more than naked in the sight of God: our most hidden thoughts and attitudes are known to him. Let us take advantage of this direct and frank relationship, opening ourselves to the help of the one who knows us well.

High ideals for marriage are accompanied by the assurance that the Word Made Flesh is pleased to be called our brother.

Seek consensus and unity, not division. This is a fairly obvious expectation for human collaboration. We have a maddening propensity toward ignoring this expectation, however.

It is typical of all of us that, when someone brings up a topic we don't want to think about, we change the subject. The Twelve can do this just as well as we can.