THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
What is truth? We hear Pontius Pilate ask Jesus that question as Jesus stands before him in judgment. And Jesus answers by dying on the cross, demonstrating a very dramatic and fundamental truth of our faith: God loves us so much that he would send his Son to die for us.
In today’s gospel, we hear a Pharisee and a tax collector both stand before God, each expressing his own truth. On one level, the Pharisee is correct in his self-analysis. By all the […]
Solemnity of All Saints and Feast of All Souls
Ready or not, next Saturday is already the first day of November! We will join with the universal Church in celebrating the Solemnity of All Saints. Since it occurs on a Saturday, it is not a Holy Day of Obligation this year. We will not celebrate a Vigil Mass on Friday and will celebrate the regular 8:00am Mass on Saturday. Although it is not a Holy Day of Obligation, I encourage you to attend the 8:00am Mass as we celebrate this important solemnity. We find encouragement throughout the year in […]
TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
As we look around our world today – whether it is the ongoing war in Ukraine, the fragile peace that has already been shattered in the Middle East or the increasing tension between our nation and so many others over tariffs or the political tension in our own country over a wide variety of issues, we see so much violence and injustice that plagues the world around us. And, there is no earthly reason to believe that it can change. If you examine human history, you will find that it’s […]
Update on Significant Changes in our Archdiocese
You might have heard an advertisement on KYW or seen one on your favorite television channel promoting the work of our archdiocese. It’s titled “Catholic. Every day.” and it is intended to bring the great work of our archdiocese to the attention of everyone in the Philadelphia area. You might have noticed that the advertisement speaks of the Catholic Church of Philadelphia rather than the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. According to Archbishop Nelson Pérez, this has been done deliberately as a marketing tool to rebrand us as a living Church rather […]
TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
“Please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth, for I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except to the Lord.” Did you catch that last line in today’s first reading? What a curious request: two mule-loads of earth. Why would Naaman, who had just been miraculously cured of leprosy, want this pile of dirt? The explanation is really very interesting. Many of the people at that time believed in local gods. They believed that local gods ruled over particular lands. That’s why we […]
STEWARDSHIP WEEKEND
“Please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth.” (2 Kings. 5:17). What a curious request we hear at the end of this Sunday’s first reading. Elisha, the great prophet in Israel, had just cured Naaman, the great army commander of the Arameans, of leprosy. Why would Namaan want this pile of earth from Israel? You will recall that the people at that time believed in local gods. They believed that these local gods ruled over particular lands. That’s why various Old Testament books speak of the gods of […]