“Hallelujah!” We’ve already sung it several times and now I can say it: Hallelujah! It was that “h” word I referred to last Sunday when another “h” word – “Hosanna” – was the word of the day. “Hosanna”, you will recall, is a cry for help; it means “God save us.” That’s how we started off Holy Week – praying to God to save us, knowing that he, alone can save us. But this evening we can shout out “Hallelujah!” which means “Praise God!” We can, indeed, praise God because […]
Alleluia! Our Lord is risen and offers us new life! We certainly need to hear this message this year as we find ourselves surrounded by suffering and death. The Paschal mystery proclaims that Jesus, truly man – the son of Mary – really died on the cross and then overcame death as he rose on Easter. The resurrection of the body, the central mystery of Easter, is an essential Christian doctrine. As the apostle Paul declares so clearly: “[I]f the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If […]
I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to be able to get together around the dinner table with my extended family or friends for a good meal and engaging conversation. Msgr. Carroll and I get along very well but it’s getting a little lonely in the rectory. Unfortunately, those family dinners aren’t going to happen soon due to the stay at home order as we continue to work together to overcome the coronavirus pandemic. But tonight, we gather together virtually around our Lord’s Table to commemorate the first […]
Before this coronavirus took over our lives, how many of you had ever heard of Dr. Anthony Fauci? I hadn’t, even though he has been a medical advisor to every president beginning with Ronald Reagan. But now, he is suddenly forced onto the public stage and, although many of us really appreciate and admire his honest, plain talk, presenting the truth as the data demonstrates, there are those who don’t like him because his grim message is upsetting their comfortable lives, closing their businesses and stopping their cash flow, so […]
“Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.” (Mt 21:9). On Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, we are called to join with our Lord, Jesus Christ, as he makes a triumphant entry into Jerusalem, and then suffers derision and mockery, scourging and finally crucifixion because he comes to offer a new way of life and claims to be who he truly is – the Son of God. This week is, indeed, what we Christians call it: […]
Well, have you had enough of this sheltering at home? Whether you live alone or are in a home filled with others, it’s a real challenge, isn’t it? We all admit that the coronavirus is a serious threat to us. Some of us are already affected personally, with a member of our family or a friend who is seriously ill or has even passed away from this powerful virus. We recognize the need to practice social distancing and are looking forward to that time when we are rid of this […]
The Season of Lent is given to use every year to recognize and admit how we have drifted away from God and then to turn back to him as we prepare to accompany his son through his suffering, death and Resurrection. It is a time to focus again on the eternal life God promises us rather than remain caught up in pursuing momentary pleasures here on earth.
Lent always falls during spring – after all, that’s what the word “lent” means – and this is, for most of us, a very […]