As we begin Holy Week and try to enter into the deepest mysteries of our faith, I wish to comment on the invitation that went out to participate in a kind of communal spiritual exercise...
Each Lent we’re treated with the story of the man born blind. It’s a long gospel, so I think the church is just trying to get us ready for the real long Passion reading. But there are so many details in this narrative worth contemplating...
We’ve all heard of Joshua and how he led the Israelite army around the walled City of Jericho but I bring this to your attention to encourage you to attend a short English Mission at St James, April 6, 7 & 8 with Fr Rick Heilman...
“The defects of a man appear in his talk” (Ecclesiaticus 27). “A man’s words flow out of what fills his heart.” (Luke 6) These two phrases from our Mass today certainly push us to watch our tongues...
Have you ever changed your mind about something? I don’t mean you decided to have chicken instead of steak for dinner or you went for a walk instead of cleaning the kitchen. I mean changed your mind about something significant, almost life changing...
We hear those unforgettable words of the Prophet Simeon, “Nunc Dimittis”, (now dismiss) It
has the spirit of “Ok, I can die now, I’ve seen the beginning of what I have longed for.”...
Tomorrow marks the beginning of a new administration in D.C. Whether you voted for him or not, I believe a few comments are in order from a Catholic perspective...
“The child lept in her womb.” Moms have a unique insight into this miracle of Christmas. Let’s thank God that some young couples bravely welcome children these days...
A friend recently showed me some pictures of the sidewalk windows on State Street in what used to be Marshall Field’s. She couldn’t believe her eyes. After looking at the window displays, I wondered just why she couldn’t believe her eyes...
What could be better for some pre-Thanksgiving dinner spiritual reading than to feast on some G.K. Chesterton quotes. “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder”...
I don’t think Jesus would have made a good accountant. When the poor widow puts in a few pennies into the collection box, Jesus declares that she has put in more than all the rest...
Quick question: Of the twelve sons of Jacob, who was the youngest? If you said, Joseph, you’d be right. Who was the oldest, the first born? If you said Reuben, you’d be right. Why do I ask?...
There is a feeling in today’s gospel, that the rich young man should have quit while he was ahead. He tells Jesus, “I have kept all these things”. Bingo. He should have said, “Thank you Lord, now I’m assured of my salvation.”...
When Jesus says, “Anyone not against us is for us,” He is including His apostles in this “us.” It’s not just me, Jesus, against the world. It’s me, Jesus and my apostles. That’s important to realize...
We hear the amazing two prong response of Jesus to Peter in the Gospel. First, it’s Peter’s profession of faith in Jesus, “You are the Christ”. Then comes the whammy, “Get behind me Satan.” We need to learn a lot about ourselves as we learn about Peter...
In Proverbs 9 we hear that “Wisdom has erected her seven pillars. This is a great opportunity to write about the number 7 and its sacred character in our faith. The Hebrew word shibah or shebua, means seven. But it can also mean “to swear.” ...
Tens of thousands of people gathered in Indianapolis two weeks ago to deepen their faith in the powerful unique mysterious miracle we call the Holy Eucharist...
The touching scene in the gospel today shows the compassion of Our Lord. We have seen His compassion for the people’s physical hunger as He multiplies loaves and fishes but here the emphasis emerges as their hunger for truth, right reason, and an honest trustworthy leader they can follow...
In the 6th Chapter of Mark, we find a sad verse, “He could do no mighty deed there because of their lack of faith.” We must all be cautious of that attitude Our Lord found in his own town. I speak of that stubbornness to reject something or someone who is sincerely trying to help us...