December 18, 2025
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” As we continue our journey through the Church’s liturgical season of Advent in anticipation of the celebration of the birth of our Savior, we are reminded that commencing with the nativity of […]
December 17, 2025
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Not too many are inspired by the genealogy of Jesus. The fact that there are two of them makes it even more difficult to spend much time reflecting on them. Matthew starts with Abraham and works forward, whereas Luke […]
December 16, 2025
The prophet Zephaniah lifts up today in our first reading “a people humble and lowly.” The Psalmist exclaims, “The Lord hears the cry of the poor.” Jesus, the prophet, reminds the chief priests and the elders that tax collectors and prostitutes who believed in John the Baptist “are entering the Kingdom of God.” A prophet […]
December 15, 2025
Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17 speaks to God’s power to bless Israel even through an outsider, Balaam, hired to curse them. His prophecy foretells a future king, or Messiah, who will come from Jacob/Israel as a “star” and “scepter,” defeating enemies and establishing a glorious kingdom. This passage serves as a powerful reminder that God’s blessings can’t be […]
December 14, 2025
3rd Sunday of Advent As we read the Advent scriptures, we can feel a growing sense of dramatic pressure. There is anticipation and a deep sense of hope within us. Think of the messianic prophecy Isaiah proclaimed to us over the past three weeks. “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into […]
December 13, 2025
Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr As we read of the prophet Elijah coming to bring an end to wrath and to restore the hearts of fathers toward their sons, can we imagine what our world would be like if there were an end to wrath? An end to anger, an end to hate, […]
December 12, 2025
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe “A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” – Revelation 12:1. Who is this woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, on her head a crown of twelve […]
December 11, 2025
“Whoever has ears ought to hear.” Two days ago, we entered The Book of Consolation from Isaiah, supported yesterday by the power of our Creator to save us. Today, Isaiah quotes God telling us, “It is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’” Today’s gospel ends with Jesus saying, “Whoever has […]
December 10, 2025
Hearing voices is not something to dismiss. Specialists can help. However, there are the voices of literary characters. There’s a familiar sound of Winnie-the-Pooh, Hercule Poirot, and any particular character voice in Charles Dickens’ novels, a master at creating character voices. And then there’s scripture. How we read scripture is improved when we hear the […]
December 9, 2025
Anniversary of the Canonization of Saint Peter Julian Eymard “He tends his flock like a shepherd; he gathers the lambs in his arms” (Isaiah 40:11). God’s care for us is personal, individual, and intentional. He gathers to himself those who are poor in spirit, isolated, lonely, or overlooked. We hear it in the Gospel: “What […]