About Sin: The Command of the Lord is Clear Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out…
You can’t help but feel smothered by hearts these days. Red hearts, pink hearts, fuzzy hearts, marble hearts. Hearts in silver, gold, and jewels. Hearts on clothing, cards, and commercials. Of course, none of them look like the real thing, and I suppose we can be grateful for that. Yet, despite its stylized omnipresence and…
At church, we have come to Bethlehem. We have sat with Jesus, listening and learning in the synagogue at Nazareth. When we look up, we are at a wedding. Cana Three decades before the Wedding at Cana, the shepherds came to the stable. They spoke excitedly about what an angel had told them of the…
Nazareth Entering the church through its doors is like entering Bethlehem. But when we listen to the readings from the Hebrew scriptures, we are in Nazareth during the childhood of our Lord. He, too, listened to these scriptures in the synagogue, learning them as a Jewish boy. They would eventually become the center of his…
There are 12 wonderful places we visit at mass. How is this possible? A Catholic Church is a holy place. It is a living and breathing house built by humans and spirited by God — part earth, part heaven, and, in the earthly realm of Time, yesterday, today and tomorrow. When we enter a Catholic…
In a speech given in Milwaukee on January 27, 1964, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. observed, “It may be true that you cannot legislate morality, but behavior can be regulated.” In simpler terms, you might say, “You can’t change the way someone thinks, but you can change the way he acts.” It’s something to think…
After John Had Been Arrested On this 3rd Ordinary Sunday, in the Gospel of Mark, we hear that: After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” –Mark 1:14-20 Four chapters…
In the depths of your loneliness, Within the fires of despair, Amid the temptations that call you away Out of fear and complacency; When you have nothing but questions That eat you with doubt; When you have almost lost hope for a savior, May you hear Jesus’ voice surround you— “I am he. The one…
Is it enough to turn from the world, rejecting the styles and movements of things that are but shadows that we use to fill our homes, adorn our bodies, replace our loves? Silence descended on the dark, dissolving forms. Is it enough to chasten the flesh, curb appetites the world and hearts rejoice and regale…
The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord is very much celebrated in the gifts of the Magi: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. An epiphany is a revelation of the presence of God. In the infant Jesus, God is physically — humanly — among us. The Magi came to see a new king, but when they…
