As Americans, we don’t often think about kings and queens and royalty.  You may have recently read with mild interest about Queen Elizabeth, the 95-year-old beloved queen of England as she experiences some health issues. Other than that, who hears about kings or queens.  It may surprise you to learn that there are currently 44 countries worldwide that have a king or queen, countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, Spain and New Zealand.

Of course, there aren’t really many true kings in the world today.  After the […]

“Are we there yet?”  What parent hasn’t heard that question from the back seat of your car?  And, how do you answer the question?  Of course, the real question being asked is not, “Are we there?” but “When will we get there?”  And, how do you answer?  You could look at your GPS and give the exact mileage and estimated time of arrival, but that’s of little help to a young child who doesn’t have any concept of distance or time.  These little pieces of adult information have no meaning […]

There is a lot of talk about love in today’s readings.  In the first reading, we hear Moses tell God’s people to “love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”  The responsorial psalm repeats, “I love you, Lord, my strength.”  The second reading reminds us that Jesus gave himself as the perfect sacrifice for all of us – the ultimate sign of his love for us.  And in the Gospel, we hear Jesus repeat Moses’ command and add the command […]

Today we join with parishes around the world in celebrating World Mission Sunday.  As we wait with baited breath and earnest prayer to hear what will happen to the missionaries who are being held hostage in Haiti, we are reminded of the courage that missionaries have displayed down through the ages as they go to the ends of the earth to proclaim Jesus’ message of salvation to all people.  It is a good opportunity for us to reflect on the special call we have all received at our baptism – […]