Brian Mullins is a permanent deacon in the Rockford Diocese who has been assigned by his Bishop to Saint Catherine of Genoa Parish in Genoa, Illinois.
I saw a meme on the internet yesterday. It had a gentleman making a face that seemed incredulous. The caption at the top was “Only God can judge me.” At the bottom? “That should scare you!” It’s funny in our world of “buddy Jesus” we seem to think that weContinue Reading
In today’s first reading we see a phrase that could be controversial these days. “Symeon who was called Niger.” It is believed that Symeon was an African Gentile who converted to the Way and was journeying with the new formed Christians spreading the Gospel. Why is this significant? One,Continue Reading
In today’s Gospel, we see the reversal of the tower of Babel. At Babel, they tried to get to Heaven on their own, no humility. Instead, they found themselves separated from one another (no communion.) In the upper room, we find the disciples on their knees in humility, praying forContinue Reading
Each time we go around the Sun we celebrate another year of someone’s life, and rightly so. Each person is a blessing from God, a unique individual who is deserving of dignity and respect. We should thank God for them. Yet, a year passes from our Baptismal date, and mostContinue Reading
Most people who know me, know that I’ve struggled with chronic kidney stones for over 10 years. That coupled with fibromyalgia, several types of arthritis, 13 fused vertebrae in my back, etc made for an interesting journey. What will 10 years of that do to you? What have I learnedContinue Reading
It’s interesting that we call this parable the parable of the Prodigal Son. The story does seem to revolve around him, but as Klyne Snodgrass mentions in his book Stories with Intent, there are other players here. He suggests (as do many scholars) that we should call it the ParableContinue Reading
In the first reading today we see three men who have been thrown into a furnace for their faith. Azariah bursts out into a vocal prayer that begs God to forgive them from His generous mercy. At this point, they have nothing left to give God, no sacrifice toContinue Reading