Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24 Responsorial: Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13 2nd Reading: 2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15 Gospel: Mark 5:21-43 If I but touch his clothes . . . (Mark 5:28) If you could use only one word to describe today’s story of the woman’s […]
On this the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul I will speak on the varieties of Revelation that each Apostle received from Jesus Christ, and what said Revelation means to us and to our Church today. There really is only one great Revelation—the Word made Flesh—but each of us receives it differently, in the amount […]
Anyone need a good book for teenage boys? That’s inspiring, short, and hilarious? If so, you’re in luck. Ignatius Press has just the thing: Humility Rules: Saint Benedict’s 12-Step Guide to Genuine Self-Esteem by Brother J. Augustine Wetta. Recently a friend of mine gave this book to me, and I read it in a day […]
“You did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time” (Luke 1:20). Faith assures us that anything is possible with God, and The Catechism teaches us that, “God, who created everything also rules everything and can do everything. God’s power is loving, for He is our Father, and mysterious, for only faith […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Isaiah 49:1-6 Responsorial Psalm: 139:1-3, 13-15 2nd Reading: Acts 13:22-26 Gospel: Luke 1:57-66, 80 Being Filled with the Holy Spirit and the Joy of the Lord All were amazed. (Luke 1:63) What do you think is the most amazing thing about John the […]
Trust is an intrinsic part of the human psyche, though it’s resolve can sometimes seem almost irrational. It was trust in God that brought Columbus to discover the New World. The same could be said about the many pioneers who ventured out in wagons to cross the great prairies in the 19th century. In that […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading Ezekiel 17:22-24 Responsorial: Psalm 92:2-3, 13-168 2nd Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 Gospel: Mark 4:26-34 Without parables he did not speak to them. (Mark 4:34) Did you know that you are quirky? It’s true. The fact that you are taking time out to read […]
The children of their own accord made a little shrine in our trees the other day. (They affectionately call these trees, The Wildness.) They gathered lilacs and other flowers in bloom, made blue sashes with star badges, and used sticks for swords. They also made a little flag. It was all in honor of Mary, […]
Frequently, when I speak to groups about death and dying, people will share their own stories of loss. At a recent event, a woman came up to me with tears running down her face, to talk about her daughter who had died by suicide. She had been raised as a Catholic, with the idea that […]
Even as we see our government and our leaders try to solve our problems, it’s clear that we cannot rely on them to solve our spiritual problems. Instead, when we as a civilization open ourselves up to God’s love, he will pour a new anointing of His Spirit upon us. Our plan must be to […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Genesis 3:9-15 Responsorial: Psalm 130:1-8 2nd Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:13–5:1 Gospel: Mark 3:20-35 We are not discouraged. (2 Corinthians 4:16) If anybody had a right to be discouraged, it was St. Paul. During the course of his ministry, he was beaten, shipwrecked, betrayed, […]
It boils down to confession. Because when the confession lines grow short, sin prevails; first forgotten and then celebrated. Confession keeps us grounded in the truth, as we confront sin and root it out. Without it, we become blind to sin and begin to think and do stupid things. We knew that about Ireland, and […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading Exodus 24:3-8 2nd Reading: Hebrews 9:11-15 Responsorial: Psalm 116:12-13, 15-18 Gospel: Mark 14:12-16, 22-26 This is my body. (Mark 14:22) It’s a well-known saying: We are what we eat. But what happens when we take that saying and apply it to our spiritual […]
