January 9, 2024
Hannah praying silently – expressing her heart’s deepest desire – is what struck me in the first reading. It reminds me of what real prayer is. Someone asked me, “Why do we need to pray since God already knows what we need, what we want, and what is good for us?” Many ask this common […]
January 8, 2024
The Baptism of Jesus John the Baptist sees Jesus walking toward him and says, “Look: there is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” I’m still reeling from the celebration of Christmas: recalling the Advent preparations, Gabriel, shepherds, sheep, wise men, Simeon and Anna, the Holy Innocents…and the Church is […]
January 7, 2024
The Epiphany of the Lord The glorious Solemnity of the Epiphany of The Lord has always had a special place in the hearts and history of the Eymardian family since it was the day chosen by our Founder for the first public exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in 1857. Some days later, Father Eymard wrote […]
January 6, 2024
Saint Peter Julian Eymard – First Solemn Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in Paris in 1857 Early in my career, I was blessed with a wise Christian man as a mentor. He once told me that it didn’t matter whether he was being asked to lead the department or sit at a desk stapling papers […]
January 5, 2024
Memorial of Saint John Neumann, Bishop The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. The above sentence, from today’s first reading, is appropriate as we begin a new year, as it sums up the basic meaning […]
January 4, 2024
Jesus knows who we are. He calls us the same as he called the disciples, and he does this constantly. Do we hear him? During Mass, I sometimes hear him clearly, “What are you looking for?” He asks me… and I look up at the moment of Consecration with expectation. In my impatience, I ask […]
January 3, 2024
We are just beginning a new year of grace, and the Church offers a great source of consolation in today’s reading from the 1st Letter of John. ”See what kind of love the Father has given us that we would be called the sons and (daughters) of God.” This is a great mystery that the […]
January 2, 2024
Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen Bishops and Doctors of the Church In this last week of Christmas Time, our readings give us an opportunity to reflect on the Christ and two who dedicated their later years to writing, teaching, and preaching about God among us, human and divine. To our modern […]
January 1, 2024
Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God Imagine the most important and perfect person, other than the Son of Man. Imagine that person having access to ultimate power. Imagine a pure, pious, and humble person, never speaking of their preeminence above all else on the face of the earth. Impossible if it […]
December 31, 2023
Feast of The Holy Family All recognize the season of Christmas as family time. Families gather from near and far to celebrate the birth of Jesus in particular ways preserved in family memories and cultural and religious traditions. Such traditions and memorial observances are precious gifts handed down through the generations. With that particular focus […]