June 4, 2023
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life (John 3:16). Do you really believe this? You should. “God is love,” John tells us explicitly (1 John 4:7). That is the good […]
June 3, 2023
If you asked me when I was seven what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have likely said Math teacher. Yet, when it was time to choose a college major, I made a different choice. My love for Math and teaching had become encumbered with other goals. I graduated with a […]
June 2, 2023
But of others, there is no memory, for when they ceased, they ceased. And they are as though they had not lived… Sirach will end his book singing the praises of the great ancestors of Israel. Later he will sing the praises, one by one, of some of the prominent personalities of the Hebrew Testament. […]
June 1, 2023
‘Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” …Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”’ (Mark 10:46,48-49) How aware are we of our shortcomings and failings? How often […]
May 31, 2023
Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary in Nazareth, she was told her elderly cousin, Elizabeth was already six months pregnant. Mary “traveled to the hill country in haste” to Ein Karem, near Jerusalem and approximately 90 miles from Mary’s hometown – not an easy journey […]
May 30, 2023
“Appear not before the Lord empty-handed.” Ben Sira advised the people of his time for proper sacrifices to the Jewish God. Jesus, in his time, is more specific. Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or […]
May 29, 2023
Memorial of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church Today the Church celebrates the “memorial” of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. In the May issue of the monthly publication of Give Us This Day, I discovered a wonderful reflection by the late English Catholic laywoman and spiritual writer Caryll Houselander (1901-1954) […]
May 28, 2023
Pentecost Happy Birthday! Today we celebrate Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the Church when frightened, timid disciples were empowered with the Holy Spirit, transforming them into fearless, powerful proclaimers of Jesus. Today’s readings are full of imagery: wind, fire, breath, and gifts, symbolizing spirit and life. Two strike me, fire and breath. In Genesis, God […]
May 27, 2023
In our first Scripture reading today, the Acts of the Apostles relates that Saint Paul is under house arrest in Rome and is still preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all who would listen. The hope of Israel that Saint Paul speaks of is the resurrection of the dead. Saint Paul realizes that the […]
May 26, 2023
Memorial of Saint Philip Neri It is said of Saint Philip Neri that he was a very gregarious man of great humor and gentleness and known for bringing out the best in others. Apparently, he was great at engaging strangers on the streets in conversation and preferred to call those who gathered around him to […]