THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT
Today’s Liturgy of the Word – where God reveals himself to us – starts out with the Israelites and Moses in the desert. After gladly accepting God’s invitation to abandon slavery for freedom, the people quickly started complaining. They missed the food the Egyptians let them have, they feared they would die of thirst … and on and on. Acting as if God had made no plans and was incapable of providing for them, they groused so much that Moses feared for his life. In response, and to show how […]
COLLECTION FOR THE CHURCH IN LATIN AMERICA
Ever since missionary priests accompanied the Spanish conquistadors in the 15th century, the Catholic faith has spread throughout Latin America. Many of the people are faith-filled but the needs in this region of the world are great and can often seem insurmountable. For more than 50 years, the annual Collection for the Church in Latin America has been a way for Catholics in the United States to unite more closely with our brothers and sisters in faith throughout Latin America and the Caribbean through supporting diocesan pastoral catechetical and family […]
SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
Our world is awash with calls for change. We are called to change our diets, to change our kitchens or bathrooms, to transform our nation’s health insurance plan and our political parties. I don’t know about you, but I receive lots of mail and email every day asking me to help the world change. The change is always linked to a promise of a better tomorrow; all I have to do is trust the new diet or the new health plan or the new political agenda.
Our first reading tells of […]
Nominations for Our Parish Pastoral Council
Nominations for Our Parish Pastoral Council – part II
As I noted in last week’s Parish Bulletin, it’s time to elect four new members for our Parish Pastoral Council. As you consider who to nominate, allow me to provide a little more information on the purpose and role of a Parish Pastoral Council. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia Rationale, Principles and Guidelines for Parish Pastoral Councils, the document that I mentioned last week, offers a good summary:
The general function of the Parish Pastoral Council is to advise the Pastor in those pastoral […]
FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
As we begin another season of Lent, our readings speak powerfully about temptation. But, I’d like to first call your attention to the beginning of today’s first reading from the Book of Genesis where we hear a beautiful story of our creation. Using three very touching images, we hear about God forming us out of the clay of the ground, breathing life into us and placing us into his lush, fruitful garden. It’s a very endearing account. We are invited to see God, the almighty creator of the universe, bend […]
SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
“Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy.” “Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Today’s readings, which present sermons from both Moses and our Lord, are very challenging, aren’t they? The law of our land seems so often to be an expression of “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” – but we hear our Lord, Jesus, tell us that this is not good enough. He calls us to take no revenge and cherish no grudge against anyone. We hear Moses […]