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.
Society today often portrays the Christian life as a lot of rules that sap the fun out of life. In that world view, God is a tyrant who makes unreasonable demands on His people. If you simply glimpse at the first reading today, you might find yourself thinking the sameContinue Reading
We have arrived at the first Sunday in Lent. By now we have chosen our penance and realized just how hard it might be to keep it up for thirty days. The scripture reminds us today exactly why we are doing this. Our Gospel reading shows Jesus after BaptismContinue Reading
On the first day of Lent, my true love gave to me… ok, I don’t think that song works for Lent either. It’s interesting to see the pattern in the readings to remind us. The first day of Lent, God gave us ashes on our forehead to remind us thatContinue Reading
In the first reading for today, we see some people who just aren’t getting it right. As a man who gets hangry, sometimes I’m one of those people. God is talking to those people who were bickering and fighting during their fast. That tends to be the way we viewContinue Reading
Where are we today? Some of us have jumped in with both feet, maybe even setting goals that are unrealistic and are going to lead us to fail. Others have set goals that do change them at all. Both priests last night joked about chocolate and beer. How can weContinue Reading
In the 33 Days to Morning Glory retreat, Father Michael Gaitley talks about giving to Jesus, through Mary, all the graces that might be attached to anything we might have done. That means that when I pray I don’t pray for my intention alone, but I pray with theContinue Reading
I might be about to step on some toes. Maybe it’s time I did that. Why? Today’s first reading is all about integrity. If you shake the sieve long enough, the chaff will come to the top and be exposed for what it is. When you put a pot inContinue Reading