January 20, 2021. For only the second time in this country’s history a Catholic was sworn in as our President. This happened amid cheers of joy by one half of our country and vile hatred by the other. As I watched the events leading up to this I couldn’t helpContinue Reading
After last night’s Mass, I sat down to read the readings for today. In the first reading, from Deuteronomy, there was a particular line that caught my attention. Moses had summoned all of Israel, every single person, and had been talking to them about what it means toContinue Reading
There seems to be some serious irony going on in the readings for today. The disciples who have seen Jesus work miracles, turning even the smallest amount of food into enough for thousands of people, are worried that they only have one loaf with them. The twist hereContinue Reading
In this morning’s Gospel, we see the Pharisees coming forward to argue with Jesus. They want Him to perform a “sign from Heaven.” It’s not enough that Jesus was teaching wise words and opening the scriptures. Being a Rabbi was not sufficient for them. Neither was itContinue Reading
Today is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. It marks the first time that the Immaculate Virgin Mary appeared to the 14-year-old girl, Saint Bernadette. She would appear 18 more times. Saint Bernadette lived in an old dilapidated jail near the castle of Lourdes with her parents. TheContinue Reading
In the first reading, Saint Paul tells the Corinthians: “If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast, for an obligation has been imposed on me, and woe to me if I do not preach it!” Often we think of that as an “I’m going toContinue Reading
I want to spend just a moment this morning focusing on the book of Hebrews. It can be a challenging book to understand because it’s a treatise, a document attempting to mount the Christian philosophy’s “legal defense.” The author of Hebrews makes his closing argument in these verses, givingContinue Reading