Shout for Joy
For Sunday, December 13, 2015, 3rd Sunday of Advent This weekend the church celebrates Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday. Our Advent themes of expectation and hope are quickly turning into the anticipated joy that meeting Christ will bring. Merriam-Webster defines joy as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what […]
The Prophetic Voice
For Sunday, December 6, 2015, 2nd Sunday of Advent John the Baptist is one of the towering figures in the Advent drama. Following in the tradition of the prophets, he closes out the Old Testament and heralds the New with his cry: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” While our popular culture […]
The Greatest Solace
For Sunday, November 29, 2015, 1st Sunday of Advent Advent is traditionally the time of anticipation, of breathless wonder and waiting. It’s a season, right now, perfectly attuned to our times. As I write this, Belgium is anxious and on alert for a possible terrorist attack. Presidential candidates are stoking fears. Airlines are on edge again […]
My Son Needs His King
For Sunday, November 22, 2015, Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe I suspect the events of the past week might have many people longing for a world that does not exist. My youngest child no longer feels that he is safe from the reach of terrorists. He has been to professional sporting events and […]
A Time Unsurpassed in Distress
For Sunday, November 15, 2015, 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time BBC broadcasts from Burundi are horrific. Dead bodies in the streets. Killed execution style. President Pierre Nkurunziza is demanding that all citizens must surrender illegal firearms by the end of week or risk being “dealt with as enemies of the nation.” “The crash of Metrojet […]
Embracing Life
For Sunday, November 8, 2015, 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time After reading the story of creation in Genesis, what images come to mind? We hear of a God freely and intentionally choosing to create something out of nothing motivated by the pure power of love, of which he is the author. God pronounces all things good […]
The Call to Greatness
For Sunday, November 1, 2015, All Saints When we are young, we carry within us ambitious dreams for our future. We imagine what we may be one day-an astronaut, a doctor, a professional athlete. In our minds, nothing seemed impossible for us. There seemed to be nothing we could not achieve if we only had the […]
What Are You Looking For?
For Sunday, October 25, 2015, 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Nearly thirty years ago, U2 proclaimed in their hit song, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” —an anthem for searchers everywhere. A generation later, it seems, we’re still searching. A study a few years back found that people are changing religions at a phenomenal […]
There Is No Need to Fear
For Sunday, October 18, 2015, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time It is quite amazing to consider the status that Blessed Mother Teresa gained in this world by living a life that certainly was not mainstream in any modern culture. While so many of us on this planet sought to advance ourselves and accumulate more and more […]
Between the Francises
For Sunday, October 11, 2015 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time Wisdom 7:7-11 Hebrews 4:12-13 Mark 10:17-30 or 10:17-27 He’s back in Rome. That gentle smile is no longer dominating our TV screens. His halting English is no longer a challenge coming over our radio waves. Pope Francis is no longer on American soil. Have we […]
Built to Last
For Sunday, October 4, 2015, 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time It seems today that nothing is built to last. I remember as a child the first refrigerator housed in my childhood home. It was by no means new, and back in 1958 when the house was built and it moved in, it was already ten years […]
Pope Francis and the Family
For Sunday, September 27, 2015, 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time This week, Pope Francis begins his historic visit to the United States. We can expect the news media to provide extensive coverage and analysis of this popular pontiff’s words and actions, with Time Warner Cable dedicating a channel to the visit for “fans of Pope Francis.” […]