The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me, to bring glad tidings to the poor. —Is 61:1-2; cf Lk4:18 HOLY THURSDAY, APRIL 17, AD 2014, Cathedral of Saint Mary, Diocese of Lansing, Michigan. I, a priest of Christ Jesus by the will of God, was in attendance with many of […]
We like happy endings, don’t we? We always want the underdog to win, and sometimes, we can get carried away with it – and hope the story ends the way it should. That’s easier. There’s no lingering dissonance to resolve. Pressing the pause button on his catechesis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Pope […]
Praying the Stations of the Cross on Fridays in Lent and on Good Friday is one of the most beautiful devotions in our Catholic tradition outside of the Mass and the Sacraments. This particular devotion helps the faithful to deeply ponder what Christ did for us that Friday. He submitted and opened not his mouth. […]
The Gospel of John today tells us the last hours of Jesus’ life. He speaks of the agony in the garden, when He was betrayed and arrested. The story is told of Jesus being brought before the high priests, questioned, mocked and insulted. He was then brought before Pilate, scourged and crowned with thorns. Finally, […]
“Having Loved His own …He loved them to the end” (Jn 13:1-15.) Jesus knew that it was His time to enter into His Passion and in His love for His apostles Jesus wanted to spend this memorial feast of the Passover with them. He wanted to bequeath to His apostles one last gift and proof […]
It is Holy Thursday, and during the daytime we celebrate the Chrism Mass. Tonight we will celebrate the Liturgy of the Lord’s Supper. During this liturgy, churches around the entire globe will wait in prayerful vigil, with lights dimmed, all images covered and the congregation adopts a tone of respectful and somber silence. The Church is remembering […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Acts 10:34,37-43; Psalm 118:1-216-17,22-23; Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6-8; John 20:1-9) He is Risen!! On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. (John 20:1) It’s Easter Sunday. Today, we celebrate the fact that more than two thousand years ago, Jesus’ […]
Today’s readings center around the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot. I have been thinking as I go through the trials of having an ill spouse: how easy it is to betray Jesus by losing hope? How often do I want to escape from my daily duties? It can be difficult to accept prolonged suffering, especially […]
One of the reasons I love the Extraordinary Form is that within the rite, there are a lot of lovely little ceremonies that either didn’t survive the liturgical reform, or they survived in name only. The Asperges Me is one such ceremony. While it is technically still available, it is one option among many, and […]
How many of us can relate to Simon Peter’s desire to stand beside Jesus, steadfast and true? Those very same people can, I am sure, also relate to Peter’s denial of Jesus. As St. Paul would say, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. As we grow in our own discipleship of Jesus Christ, […]
The Epistle to the Hebrews tells us something truly astounding: Christ’s prayer at his incarnation. The inspired author heard his prayer captured in the words of Psalm 40, “When Christ came into the world, he said, ‘Sacrifices and [sin] offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me … I have […]
At the very beginning of our conversion, we try to emulate Christ at a superficial level. We are play-acting. This is not a bad thing, not really, because the job of living the life of Jesus in His humility is difficult. We will probably mature in faith past this normal stage of development. However, at […]
When a conquering hero of the ancient world rode into town in triumph, it was in a regal chariot or on the back of a stately stallion. Legions of soldiers accompanied him in the victory procession. Triumphal arches, festooned with relief sculptures, were often erected to immortalize his valiant victory. After driving out demons, healing […]
In ancient times the city of Damascus employed a system of subterranean canals that irrigated the plains and supplied Damascenes with drinking water. Some of these aqueducts were more than a mile in length. It was through these canals that Saint Paul escaped the city to enter Arabia (Gal 1:17), and through them he returned […]
“Thus says the Lord GOD: I will take the children of Israel from among the nations to which they have come, and gather them from all sides to bring them back to their land. I will make them one nation upon the land, in the mountains of Israel, and there shall be one prince for […]
Continuing with his back to basics approach to catechesis, the Holy Father used this week’s general audience to begin a new series of reflections, this time on the gifts of the Spirit. When you ask people what the gifts of the Spirit are, you frequently hear such things as speaking in tongues, prophesy, healing, etc. […]
I hear the whisperings of many: “Terror on every side! denounce! let us denounce him!” All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine. Do you ever feel like everyone is against you? Do you sometimes feel like you can do no right in the eyes of some people? […]
Ezekiel and I agreed on just about everything, except for theology and football. He was a dogmatic Calvinist and a Pittsburgh Steelers fanatic (which is different than just being a ‘fan’). He was also an awesome debater and very logical – a bit loud and hyperbolic – but his gift was never being able to […]
Can you imagine each person on earth serving the needs of others? Neither can I. Yet, by nature, there are some things that are harder for each of us and require a helping hand. You may argue that in times of crisis people help people and you would be correct. A fire truck is dispatched […]
The Scribes and Pharisees are presented with a conundrum when they argue with Jesus in the temple. They are the religious experts of their day. They know the scriptures inside out and upside down and keep every letter of the law. Yet in their arrogance, with only their human wits to guide them, they are […]
Reflections for Sunday, April 13, 2014 (Palm Sunday) Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Isaiah 50:4-7; Psalm 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24; Philippians 2:6-11; Matthew 26:14–27:66) The Victory of the Cross From now on you will see “the of Man seated at the right hand of the Power” and “coming on the clouds of heaven.” […]
The King in the book of Daniel does not like the true God. Perhaps even before the “Magnificat” was uttered by the Mother of Jesus, the King already knew that the true God would scatter the mighty such as he from his throne. So the King decides to builds his own God. Standing at 9 feet […]
A priest helping Christians sheltering in Syria’s Old City of Homs has been murdered. Dutch Jesuit Fr. Frans van der Lugt was shot twice in the head this morning, April 7. Speaking from Syria, fellow Jesuit Fr. Ziad Hillal told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), “Fr. Frans was apparently killed by […]
“You belong to what is below; I belong to what is above. You belong to this world, but I do not belong to this world.” I have a lot of crazy things to belong. Most were embarrassing or even downright stupid: such as smoking, swearing and pretending you had an active sex life, skipping school, […]
