Question: what is your security blanket? For Gollum, it’s the ring. For Tony Stark, it’s the Iron Man suit. For Woody, it’s his status as a favorite toy. In the gospel for the Sunday, Jesus gives us the foundations of discipleship, and one of those things is getting rid of the unhealthy attachments that prevent us from Jesus. We all have them. We all have those security blankets that bring us false security…

I am so excited. Our Newman Center just got a new statue of St. Joseph. It was handcrafted in Germany, it is absolutely beautiful, and my favorite thing about it is that the baby Jesus, the Lord of the universe, is holding the world, but is being held by his dad, St. Joseph, and the baby Jesus is safe and resting in his dad’s arms. St. Joseph was a good father, and he must have learned how to be a…

Let’s talk about money. In ancient Rome, Caesar’s face was imprinted on coins so that people would know who the emperor was. In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus asks the Pharisees to take out a coin and tells them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and give to God what is God’s.” Jesus is telling the Pharisees to give him his coins, be good citizens, pay their taxes, and not jaywalk. But everyone…

Ebenezer Scrooge, Severus Snape, Loki, The Grinch. What do they all have in common? They are suspicious of joy. In the gospel for this Sunday, we have the story of the famous prodigal son. The older son is suspicious of joy. He hears the party for the younger son, and instead of going out, he is suspicious of the joy happening. If they are being rejoiced over, then he must be less loved. Because the older son is suspicious…

Dr. John Watson. If you know anything about Sherlock, Dr. John Watson is the person who really grounds Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock is kind of crazy. He’s over the top. He’s unhinged. Dr. John Watson roots him and grounds him, keeping him rooted in reality. And not only that, but Watson speaks truths to Sherlock, revealing to him where he is wrong and where he needs to grow. In the gospel, this is precisely…

Did Jesus tell us to cheat the system? Did he instruct us to falsify our tax returns? Did he give us financial advice like the mafia would? In the gospel for this Sunday. Jesus, of course, is not advocating fraud. But what Jesus is saying is that this dishonest steward was hustling, striving, putting in all this effort to make all this money. And the question is, are we hustling when it comes to Heaven? It’s easy…