Throughout Salvation History, we find God acting in unusual ways, calling us to rethink our priorities and expectations as he works to lead us back to himself.  Today’s readings give us good examples of this.  We begin about 1,000 years before the time of Jesus with God’s surprising choice of the boy David to be Israel’s king.  In a society that prized the firstborn, warriors and wise men, Samuel had to accept God’s unusual choice of the last of Jesse’s sons – a mere shepherd – to be anointed as […]

“Is the Lord in our midst or not?”  What a question to ask after God had freed them from their slavery to the Egyptians and led them through the Red Sea to escape the Egyptian army.  And yet, just a month later, we hear the Israelites grumble:  “Is the Lord in our midst or not?”

As much as we may be tempted to look back on the Israelites and wonder at their doubt in our first reading, if any of us have ever been truly thirsty, we will be moved to […]

With winter storm Hernando bearing down on us, I’m sure we’re all looking forward to spring.  And, as you all know, the word “Lent” means “spring.” It comes from an Old English word that spoke of the lengthening of daylight hours.  I don’t know about you, but I’m enjoying the earlier sunrises and the later sunsets.  They are harbingers of the new life that spring will bring.  So, as we begin another season of Lent, our readings speak powerfully about God who gives and sustains our lives and the temptations […]

God called Abraham to leave behind everything he knew – his family, his friends, his land – and set out on a difficult journey to a new land.  He wasn’t told where he was going.  All he was given was a promise of future blessing.  We heard that in today’s first reading.  Notice how Abraham responded.  He went as the Lord directed him.  And, we all know the end to that story.  Abraham was, indeed, blessed: he became the father of the Jews, Christians and Muslims.

As we heard in today’s […]

As you all know, we are experiencing here in America and Western Europe a serious religious vocation crisis, with a significant decline in priests and religious sisters and brothers.  Some religious communities, however, are flourishing.  The Missionaries of Charity, founded by Saint Teresa of Calcutta, is one of those communities.  It continues to grow throughout the world.  Mother Teresa was interviewed shortly before her death in 1997 and was asked what her secret was in attracting so many women to her religious community.  Her response was very simple.  She said, […]

As we come to the end of the Christmas Season, we hear Jesus burst onto the world stage.  After being born in Bethlehem and spending some time as a refugee with his family in Egypt, his childhood has been hidden away in the little town of Nazareth while Jesus grew “in wisdom and age and favor before God and man,” as we hear in Luke’s Gospel.  But now, he begins his public ministry. It all starts with his baptism; all four of the gospels relate this incident.  Only Matthew’s Gospel, […]

EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

“We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”  As I ride through the neighborhood, I already see Christmas trees at the curb and the Christmas decorations coming down.  For so many, the Christmas season is already over.  Now, it’s on to the next thing – the Eagles are doing well and Valentine’s Day is not far off.  We, the faithful, however, are still in the midst of the Christmas season – it doesn’t end until next Sunday, the Feast of the […]

Let me wish all of you, once again, a very blessed Christmas!  We gather this morning to celebrate the most blessed event of all time: the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh, as we hear presented so poetically in today’s gospel.  It is a mystery beyond our full understanding but one that benefits us all.  Speaking of benefiting from great mysterious things, I’ve become a great fan of Siri and ChatGPT.  I can ask them any question and receive a very helpful […]

The “Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God” that we celebrate today is the most ancient feast of Mary in the Roman calendar.  It celebrates Mary’s unique role as the Theotokos, a Greek word that means God-bearer.  Mary was officially given the title of God-bearer, or Mother of God, way back at the Council of Ephesus in 431AD.  This was in response to a great debate that arose in the early Church.  There were those who could not accept the notion that Mary was the mother of […]

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with some time to enjoy this special season with your families as you shared your gifts, reflecting the great gift that God has given us: his son, Jesus.  One of the gifts that so many of you share with our parish is your family life.  The love and dedication you demonstrate in your marriage and family are an inspiration to us all.  You have generously accepted God’s call to marry and have children so that more of God’s children may come to […]