Mary M. McGlone

Mary M McGlone, a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet, gives retreats and days of reflection and is a writer and interpreter/translator. She may be reached at [email protected].

By this Author

"The Sermon of John the Baptist" (1634-35) by Rembrandt (Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin)

Second Sunday of Advent: God's promised future

Today, we hear some of Isaiah's most famous lines, "Prepare the way of the Lord! ... The glory of the Lord shall be revealed. All people shall see it together."

Woman wearing coat and scarf stands outside building with brick walls and looks upward.

First Sunday of Advent: What are we waiting for?

Scripture for Life: As we begin Advent, we might recall some of our most memorable experiences of anticipation. Waiting reminds us that, like it or not, we don’t control the universe. 

Diego Rivera's painting "El Cargador de Flores," or "The Flower Carrier," is seen at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. (Dreamstime/Enrique Gomez Tamez)

Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe: See through a different lens

Scripture for Life: We celebrate this Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, on the heels of the first session of the synod on synodality. The synod is calling us to learn how to journey together as church and as the people of the world. 

The Thanksgiving Blessing collection in Anchorage, Alaska, draws volunteers to help distribute food donations Nov. 21, 2022. The annual collaboration between local faith communities and the Food Bank of Alaska helps ensure families in the community have a holiday meal. (OSV News/Courtesy of Catholic Social Services)

Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time: Genuine Thanksgiving

Scripture for Life: Genuine thanksgiving will motivate us to accept the trust put in us and imitate God's limitless liberality.

Wind blows pages of an open Bible on the ground in an outdoor setting, in this photo illustration. (Unsplash/Priscilla Du Preez)

Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time: Wisdom and desire

Scripture for Life: Where can we find wisdom or knowledge of God? Today's first reading makes a promise: She is "found by those who seek her," and, "She hastens to make herself known in anticipation of their desire."

Photo illustration of a woman holding a baby (Unsplash/Wes Hicks)

Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time: Giving our all

Scripture for Life: Young or old, celibate or in a committed relationship, no matter our gender, all God asks is that we give of ourselves exactly as we are — and that we give our all.

a pile of ancient coins

Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time: 'Show me the money!'

Scripture for Life: Avoiding meticulous mandates, Jesus invites us to deeper considerations. By recalling Genesis and the human vocation to be icons of the divine, he calls forth our creativity.

Platter of canapes (Unsplash/Kelly Jean)

Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Invitation to the good life

Scripture for Life: What if we thought of our calling, our vocation, as an invitation to "the good life" in the sense of a life of fulfillment, joy, celebration, commitment, laughter and love? 

Vineyard (Unsplash/Tim Mossholder)

Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time: Prayer that transforms the world

Today's readings invite us into at least two styles of prayer. The first, as Paul says, is to pray with the trust that produces peace, remembering that God urges us toward unimaginable good in every circumstance. 

(Unsplash/Annie Spratt)

Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time: A call to metanoia

Scripture for Life: If we resist the idea of learning from the other, we must be hearing this Sunday's readings correctly — the Scriptures are supposed to challenge us.

People in St. Peter's Square attend Pope Francis' recitation of the Angelus at the Vatican Nov. 8, 2020. The pope said people sometimes forget that life's ultimate purpose is preparing for the kingdom of heaven. (CNS/Vatican Media)

Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time: More than fair

Scripture for Life: Sometimes we look at religion as a transactional affair: If we do good, we'll get rewarded, if not, we'll be punished. Thus, like Constantine, we shoot for the best we can get with the least disturbance to other priorities. 

The parable of the unmerciful servant is depicted in a painting attributed to Pieter Pourbus, circa 1570. (Wikimedia Commons)

Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time: God is lavish. We can be, too.

Scripture for Life: Sirach talked about cherishing wrath. That seems to be the direct route to self-inflicted torment. How about the alternative of cherishing gratitude? 

Youth climate activists in Manila, Philippines, participate in the Global Climate Strike in September 2019. (CNS/Courtesy of Global Catholic Climate Movement)

Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time: Speak out for creation

Scripture for Life: In this second week of the 2023 Season of Creation, we are called to take up our vocation as creation's caretakers without delay.

(Unsplash/Pablo Heimplatz)

Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time: Receive a new perspective

Scripture for Life: Both Jeremiah and Peter had a bone to pick with God. But Jeremiah received a new perspective. Nothing was forced on him. Nor on Peter and friends.

Visitors applaud and greet Pope Francis after praying the Angelus in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican July 9. (CNS/Lola Gomez)

Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time: Awesome faith

Today, we find ourselves called to answer Jesus' question for ourselves. Happily, we don't need to figure it out alone, nor live it alone.

(Unsplash/Markus Spiske)

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Where are the boundaries of our solidarity?

Scripture for Life: Concerns about who is in and who is out are as old as nature. As Isaiah, Jesus and Paul knew well, it's hard to free people from their ethnocentrism — the pride being part of an exclusive pack.

(Unsplash/Tavis Beck)

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Dare to do what Jesus did

Scripture for Life: Peter shows us how to risk the depths. His example dares us, too, to do what Jesus did. Today's word of God is, "Come." It's the only remedy for our little faith.

"Transfiguration of Jesus," 1872, by Carl Bloch (Artvee)

Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord: Listen to him

Scripture for Life: If we want to know what God is like, listen to him. If we want to hear God's voice in our own time, if we want to know the will of God, listen to him.

(Unsplash/David Monje)

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: A renewed sense of God

Scripture for Life: Today's Liturgy of the Word invites us to wonder and believe in God's care.

(Unsplash/Lubo Minar)

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: God's work keeps on keeping on

Scripture for Life: What will make us more God-like, focusing on our failures or exulting in those moments when we know God has worked through us to bring about something wonderful?

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