September 9, 2025
Memorial of Saint Peter Claver, priest When we read the history of Saint Peter Claver, we encounter astonishing numbers—over 300,000 baptisms overall and 5,000 confessions heard each year. Nearly all of this was done among those held in slavery in what is today Colombia. His encyclopedia entry states that, “He is considered a heroic example […]
September 8, 2025
Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary The prophet Micah speaks of a small, humble place, Bethlehem, chosen by God to be the birthplace of the One who will shepherd His people. This prophecy, spoken centuries before Christ’s birth, already held within it the hidden joy of today’s feast: the birth of his […]
September 7, 2025
Many of us like to imagine being in close companionship with Jesus, not unlike Jesus’ disciples in Palestine. We imagine ourselves travelling with him as he goes from place to place. We are there when he heals the sick and cures the blind. We feel his pain and suffering. We listen attentively to his preaching […]
September 6, 2025
I don’t know if it is from a “built-in” desire for justice in the human heart that we find ourselves often asking questions like: “Why is that person allowed to do this? Why am I not allowed to do that?” We have a tendency to look outwards and compare to make a judgment of what […]
September 5, 2025
Optional Memorial of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Virgin In today’s reading from his Epistle to the Colossians, Paul describes Jesus as “the image of the unseen God.” It is through the Incarnation that God became flesh in Jesus and made the invisible God present by his words and deeds, his healings and his announcement that […]
September 4, 2025
Our readings today are about emptiness and abundance. In our first reading, Paul is writing from prison to the Christian community in Colossae. Paul had heard that the Colossians, who had at one time been strong in their faith, were now vulnerable to deception about the faith. From the day Paul heard about the Colossians’ […]
September 3, 2025
Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church In today’s gospel passage, Luke summarizes Jesus’ public ministry: he taught in their synagogues, healed many, and undergirded this with prayer. Jesus surely impressed the people in Capernaum with his healing. They went looking for him the next day and found him lost […]
September 2, 2025
The first reading and psalm are perfect to include in our funeral liturgy planning. We are reminded of the “end times” and how we have nothing to fear, for the times and seasons will guide us as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of the Lord. Eymard’s view, that “tomorrow [would be] too […]
September 1, 2025
Labor Day (in the USA) Lord, give success to the work of our hands. Each day, we bring our labor, seen and unseen, before the Lord. Whether we work in offices, classrooms, hospitals, kitchens, or care for others at home, Psalm 90 reminds us that our efforts are not just tasks, but offerings. We were […]
August 31, 2025
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time My child, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts. Today, our readings invite us to reflect on what it means to be humble – so many different concepts of what that means. Among which are not bragging about one’s accomplishments, not […]