Finally, just six years ago, in 2013, Pope Francis decreed that St. Joseph should be included by name in the Eucharistic Prayers, when we mention Mary, the apostles and martyrs and all the saints whom we wish to join in the glory of heaven.  It’s about time that we recognize his extraordinary place in Salvation History; we hear about it today.  Just like Mary, we hear very little about Joseph in the Bible.  Outside of Matthew and Luke’s infancy narratives, Joseph is mentioned only in the Gospel of John where […]

Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”  We tend to think that Jesus endured a trial only at the end of his life before the Sanhedrin and the Roman leaders.  But, if we read the Gospels more carefully, we see that Jesus was on trial for the entirety of his public ministry, from friend and foe alike.  Every time he did or said something – healed the sick, raised the dead, forgave sins, asserted that he was one with God – we hear […]

“In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”  And, what was the first thing that people did when they heard John’s message? They acknowledged their sins. Why? Because John preached a message of repentance.  And, John did this to prepare for the coming of our Lord.  If you examine the New Testament, you will find that the first word of the gospel message is “repent.”  As we hear today, “Repent” is the first word we hear from John the Baptist.  […]

As you probably know, the word Advent has a Latin root; so many of our church terms are Latin in origin.  Adventus in Latin means to await the arrival of someone or something of great importance.  That’s what Advent is: we await the arrival of Jesus, our Lord and God.  That’s pretty important, isn’t it!?!  Most of us think of this season as a time of preparation for the birth of Christ, which we celebrate at Christmas. And, it’s important to do that since Jesus came to lead us back […]