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Isaiah’s service as our Lord’s prophet started with an encounter with the Lord (as told in today’s first reading). He “saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne.” How would encountering the Lord in this way affect you?…
Read MoreWe’ve probably all said something in a hasty response that we later wished we could take back. We do well to ask ourselves if we think before we speak. You might be thinking of someone you know that you think…
Read MoreThe Presentation of the LordMalachi 3:1-4Psalm 24:7, 8, 9, 10 (8)Hebrews 2:14-18Luke 2:22-40February 2, 2025 Today is 40 days since Christmas. After 40 days a Jewish mother who had given birth would undergo purification rituals. At this time, Mary and…
Read More“Today is holy to the LORD your God” (3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, first reading). What made that day holy? That day something happened that hadn’t happened in a long time. “Ezra the priest brought the law before…
Read MoreAs a society, I feel we are broken. We are in need of healing. Why do I think we are broken? I see several signs of the brokenness. We see it in heated initial responses different groups say to each…
Read MoreThose who have read this blog for a long time and/or have read through much of my website know that Catholic Pro-Life teaching spans over many issues. However, in recent months much of the focus has been on abortion. This…
Read MoreSecond Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year CIsaiah 62:1-5Psalm 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10 (3)1 Corinthians 12:4-11John 2:1-11January 19, 2025 Christmas is over and we have begun Ordinary Time. Our use of the term “ordinary” for this time of year does not…
Read MoreWhen I was a kid, I was a fan of superhero shows and movies. As a kid, it was cool to think of having superpowers and what you could do with them. This remains true of superheroes today. When I…
Read MoreToday we celebrate the Baptism of our Lord. On Christmas day Jesus was born a man. In Baptism, He born spiritually as “heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him.” John the Baptist baptized many but the baptism…
Read MoreLast fall I read Pope Francis’ new encyclical Dilexit Nos on the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I found the document thoughtful but it left me with questions as I am not familiar with the details of the Sacred Heart Devotion. …
Read MoreThe Epiphany of the LordIsaiah 60:1-6Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13 (11)Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6Matthew 2:1-12January 5, 2025 It has been a rough week in the news; a car attack in New Orleans killing at least a dozen based on hate; a…
Read MoreMary, Mother of GodNumbers 6:22-27Psalm 67:2-3,5, 6, 8 (2a)Galatians 4:4-7Luke 2:16-21January 1, 2025 Today is important for various reasons. For the secular world, today is New Year’s Day. The arrival of the new year brings hope for better things to…
Read MoreI often write an article on new year’s resolutions as we approach the end of one year and the beginning of another. Since today is December 31st, it is time for this year’s article. Of course, people often make new…
Read MoreToday we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. We tend to think of the Holy Family as having the perfect life. Mary conceived without sin by the Holy Spirit and Jesus was the Son…
Read MoreChristmas Mass During the NightIsaiah 9:1-6Psalm 96:1-2, 2-3, 11-12, 13 (Luke 2:11)Titus 2:11-14Luke 2:1-14December 25, 2024 One of my favorite Christmas hymns begins “O Come All Ye Faithful.” Here we are. We come together in faith to celebrate. To celebrate…
Read More4th Sunday of Advent, Year CMicah 5:1-4aPsalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19 (4)Hebrews 10:5-10Luke 1:39-45December 22, 2024 Those who have heard me preach know that my typed homily is seldom exactly the same as I wrote it. Once is a while there…
Read MoreThis is third and final article in my article in my series reflecting on Pope Francis’ Bull of Indiction, “Spes Non Confundit” (Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025, May 9, 2024). (see “We Need Hope…
Read MoreIf we hear a message from a prophet of the Lord, we look for a message of hope. However, the messages received from prophets don’t always seem hopeful. They foretell of defeat. I’ve spoken of this recently when our first…
Read MoreLast week I began a short series of articles on the upcoming jubilee year of hope (see “We Need Hope Part I). I ended last week at paragraph 3 of Pope Francis’ Bull of Indiction, “Spes Non Confundit” (Bull of…
Read MoreThe Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin MaryGenesis 3:9-15, 20Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4 (1)Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12Luke 1:26-38December 9, 2024 God had placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Everything was wonderful. The garden was a gift from God…
Read More2nd Sunday of Advent, Year CBaruch 5:1-9Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6 (3)Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11Luke 3:1-6December 8, 2024 How do you feel about the world today? There is war in the Middle East. There is war in Ukraine and Russia. There…
Read MoreIn my homily this past Sunday, I used the word hope thirteen times. This was not an accident. Hope is essential to our faith. Whether we live in hope or despair has a profound impact on how we look at…
Read More1st Sunday of Advent, Year CJeremiah 33:14-16Psalm 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14 (1b)1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2Luke 21:25-28, 34-36December 1, 2024 In 24 days we will celebrate something wonderful, the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. There is hope for Jesus comes to…
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