Reflections on the Sunday readings from the Catholic Lectionary for Mass. Includes homilies, sermons, and other thoughts.
When St. Francis created the original Christmas nativity scene in the year 1223, he insisted that there be an ox and a donkey. Here’s why.
Mary believed the message of the angel Gabriel. She believed the prophets and scriptures. She trusted God, and so should we.
Gaudete is a command to rejoice. But to understand why we should rejoice, we need to understand another Latin word.
The coming of Jesus was prepared for since Adam and Eve left the Eden. Part of that preparation was preparing Mary to be the Mother of God.
It’s dangerous to be sick and not know it. If we’re spiritually sick, God will find a way to let us know. We may be exiled, but we can return.
If things seem like winter in your life, don’t panic. Lift up your soul. Get ready to run. God will definitely come. He is to be expected.
Restoration, freedom, right praise… it’s all at the beginning of today’s Mass in honor of Christ the King.
What happens when we die? The thought should give us all a sense of holy fear, but also hope.
In an emergency, there is always something you can do. For a pilot, the first priority is to fly the airplane.
We think a lot about the food we put into our bodies, but what about the sounds?
In the great backpacking trek of life, Jesus doesn’t want to leave anyone behind.
Not only should Christians not be surprised by suffering, we can even learn to be thankful that God permits certain sufferings.
Angels are real. And so are a lot of other things that you can’t see.
Prophets speak on behalf of someone. If you’re baptized, you’re a prophet of God. So what are you speaking?
If you imagine a world of peace and harmony, then you need a world beyond this one. You need to imagine heaven.
The heroes of 9/11 had been practicing a long time before that fateful day. Words of belief must be put into action.
In the beginning, God created. But then sin entered the world and, ever after, we have been constantly in need of recreation.
Receiving Holy Communion means we are committed to acting a certain way. We leave Mass sent on mission.
The same God who created everything out of nothing by his Word changes bread and wine into God by the words spoken at every Mass.
God chose Mary to be the vessel through whom he took on flesh and entered this world. He, of course, prepared Mary for this great mission.
It turns out that a Garth Brooks concert has a lot to teach us about the Mass and about the life of faith that Jesus wants to share with us.
The Word of God is much more than text on a page. The Word is a person. That person is made present at Mass in the Liturgy of the Word.
Where does the Mass come from, and why do we do what we do? Today I consider the history of the Mass and explain the Introductory Rites.
Civil leaders fail. Church leaders fail. We all fail. So what does Jesus expect us to do in the midst of this messed up broken world?
A good Scout knows that being prepared doesn’t mean you take everything. You take exactly what you need, no more no less. Today, Jesus teaches the apostles what they need to be prepared.
In today’s second reading, Paul asks God three times to take away a certain struggle in his life. God says no. His grace is enough and his power is made perfect in weakness.
Life is filled with ups and down, mountains and valley. When we’re at either extreme, it’s always good to remember that it will not always be that way.
Our beloved war dead remind us that our country is worth dying for. The crucifix reminds us that God thinks you are worth dying for. Both are “worth the pain.”
The forests of Philmont Scout Ranch are beautiful and precious. Historic suppression of fires means that today’s scouts surprisingly spend their conservation hours cutting down trees.
Today Jesus ascends to heaven and leaves his apostles on their own…. and this is a good thing.
Jesus loved his disciples so much that he died for them. The word he uses to describe this “greatest love” is not spouse, but friend.
“I am the vine. You are the branches.” Jesus invites us to live connected with him and with each other. The way to get there is by “remaining.”