In this in-between stretch of Ordinary Time, between the high feast of Christmas and the solemn preparation of Lent, we find ourselves in a new place as we settle into the New Year.

By all appearances, January's consistory was a first step to returning to a more collegial sense of governance that has largely marked the exercise of papal ministry since the Second Vatican Council.

In today's Gospel, we learn a lot about what Jesus came to do. All of us need the healing mercy of our Lord. Father Salvo talks about those in greatest need of healing: the Pharisees.