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I knew it was almost certain that it would happen. Yet I was disappointed to learn Saturday morning that the New York State Legislature had passed the amendments to the “Medical Aid in Dying Act (MAID)” requested by Governor Hochul and that she had signed…
Read More5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AIsaiah 58:7-10Psalm 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 (4a)1 Corinthians 2:1-5Matthew 5:13-16February 8, 2026 “You are the salt of the earth.” We add salt to food to make it taste better. We are to do our part…
Read MoreFourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13 Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10 (Matthew 5:3) 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 Matthew 5:1-12a February 1, 2026 The Israelites were struggling. In their struggles our Lord speaks to them. He speaks of the remnant that will remain in their midst. For several decades now,…
Read MoreWhat does it mean to be Catholic? What does it mean to follow Jesus? The simple answer would be that being Catholic means a person is baptized in the Catholic Church. Being identified as Catholic starts with Baptism but it is more than…
Read More3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AIsaiah 8:23-9:3Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14 (1a)1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17Matthew 4:12-23January 25, 2026 In a world full of political, moral, and religious differences Paul’s thought of everyone agreeing can seem wonderful. It doesn’t just sound…
Read MoreI wrote the following for a parish weekly email I send out. Portions are parish specific but I think the general thought applies to most parishes. With Lent less than four weeks away, this seems to be a good time…
Read MoreOnce again, I have been stumped the last couple of days for an idea what to write about. It happens when you write articles every week. Yesterday morning, I reached out to a couple and told them I was without ideas. I asked them if they had any idea(s). One responded…
Read More2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year AIsaiah 49:3, 5-6Psalm 40:2-, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10 (8a, 9a)1 Corinthians 1:1-3John 1:29-34January 18, 2026 Paul speaks of himself as one “called to be an apostle.” For Paul, his work to share the gospel…
Read MoreAs I prayed for a topic to write about this week, I found myself without any fresh ideas. There is always a lot going on in the world. Yet, there are two challenges in finding ideas for articles. The first is that much of what one hears in the news is the same…
Read MoreBaptism of the Lord, Year AIsaiah 42:1-4, 6-7Psalm 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10, (11b)Acts 10:34-38Matthew 3:13-17January 11, 2026 Seventeen days ago we began our celebration of the birth of Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Knowing that the Nativity is too…
Read MoreThe Epiphany of the Lord Isaiah 60:1-6 Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13 (11) Ephesians 5:2-3a, 5-6 Matthew 2:1-12 January 4, 2026 In my homily for the recent Holy Day, I spoke about peace. It was not world peace but rather the Peace of the Lord that I was speaking…
Read MoreMary, Mother of God Numbers 6:22-27 Psalm 67:2-3, 6, 8 (2a) Galatians 4:4-7 Luke 2:16-21 January 1, 2026 Today is the eighth day of our Christmas season. On the 8th day after their birth, Jewish boys were taken for the circumcision rites to be marked as a child of God. …
Read MoreThe year 2025 is almost over. It is a time when many review the events they experienced in the last twelve months. We begin the new year 2026 in less than 48 hours. As one-year ends, people look forward to the new year with hope for better things to…
Read MoreThe Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Year A Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 (1) Colossians 3:12-21 Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23 December 28, 2025 Family life is important. Family life is to be rooted in love. Of course, family life should involve love between family members. For this…
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, 2025 We gather to celebrate something wonderful. As the angel said, there is “good news of great joy that will be for all the…
Read MoreIn less than forty-eight hours we will be filled with abundant joy and great rejoicing (first reading for Christmas Mass During the Night) at the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. In a world that has gloom in it in many forms, including not respecting…
Read More4th Sunday of Advent, Year AIsaiah 7:10-14Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 (7c, 10b)Romans 1:1-7Matthew 1:18-24December 21, 2025 The Lord spoke to Ahaz to offer him a sign. One might wonder why God is offering Ahaz a sign. Judah is under attack. …
Read MoreThis past weekend there was the shooting of soldiers in Syria, a shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island, and a shooting at a Jewish celebration in Australia. Clearly, this was not a good weekend. In this article, I offer…
Read More3rd Sunday of Advent Year A Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10 Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10 (Isaiah 35:4) James 5:7-10 Matthew 11:2-11 December 14, 2025 Our season of Advent is a time of preparation. We prepare ourselves to celebrate the First Coming of Jesus at Christmas and we ask ourselves…
Read MoreA few days ago I received an email from a parishioner saying he had watched a bishop’s homily on the First Sunday of Advent and found it thought provoking. His email to me focused on one particular issue that struck him in the homily, the topic of when should the…
Read MoreThe Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Genesis 3:9-15, 20 Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4 (1) Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12 Luke 1:26-38 December 8, 2025 God has always had a complete plan for our salvation. He has always “destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ.” From our…
Read More2nd Sunday of Advent, Year AIsaiah 11:1-10Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 (7)Romans 15:4-9Matthew 3:1-12December 7, 2025 The nation of Israel had long since broken into two nations. At the time Isaiah is written, the two nations were defeated by their…
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