I want to start off by commending you for coming to Mass this morning.  It’s a miserable day, hot, humid, muggy, rainy, a good day to just stay home and read a good book, watch television or troll the internet for a sale; not a good day to go anywhere – but you’re here; good for you.  So, why did you come here this morning?  It’s because you’re the seed that’s fallen on rich soil.  You have heard God’s word and understood that it is important to you.  You recognize […]

It is every parent’s dream.  It goes like this.  Your child is a guest at someone’s home for dinner; maybe it’s a friend or a relative.  When the meal is over, your child is the one who, without being asked, rises from the table, grabs some plates, takes them into the kitchen and puts them either in the sink or in the dishwasher.  What parent doesn’t live with the secret hope that your ten thousand nudges to your kids “pick that up” and “put that in the trash” and “did […]

How many of you were captivated by the search of the submersible Titan this week?  As a scuba diver and one who loves the deep blue sea, it certainly caught my attention.  The dangerous drama of those five adventurous men inside this tiny, 22-foot-long experimental vessel traveling 13,000 feet into the darkness of the deep to catch a momentary glimpse of the Titanic that has been resting on the ocean floor for over a hundred years was riveting and the fear of their loss from either hypothermia or lack of […]

After celebrating some of the great feasts of our faith – Pentecost, the Trinity and the Body and Blood of our Lord – we now return to ordinary time, time ordered by God for our salvation.  And, we return to hearing from the Gospel of Matthew, the gospel that is featured throughout this liturgical year.  The passage we hear this evening follows Matthew’s presentation of our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount.  Great crowds are following Jesus now as he goes from town to town because they were impressed by his […]

Today, we celebrate Pentecost, the third most important day of our liturgical year.  On Christmas we celebrated the birth of Jesus, the Son of God who became the son of Mary.  On Easter we celebrated his victorious resurrection from death.  Today, we celebrate his giving of the Holy Spirit.  This is presented on two occasions, according to Sacred Scriptures: on Easter day and on the Jewish Feast of Pentecost; we hear of both events in this evening’s readings.

As we just heard from the reading taken from the Gospel of John, […]

One of my favorite books on prayer is entitled Teach us to Pray, by Louis Evely.  As he begins his book, the author writes: “Too many Christians regard God as pilots regard their parachute, namely, good if needed, but better if they can get along without it.”  In our very busy world, and our culture of self-sufficiency, many of us find that we pray only when we’re faced with a situation that’s beyond our control.  And yet, regular, ongoing prayer is so important.  It unites us to God, who is […]

Again, congratulations to you boys and girls who are about to receive our Lord in Holy Communion for the first time in just a few minutes; I’m sure you’re really excited.  You girls look so pretty in your white dresses and you boys look very handsome, too!  What a special moment it is for you – and for all of us – as you receive the Body of Christ and become one with all of us who are the Body of Christ.  Congratulations and welcome!  

It is so fortunate for […]

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER-First Communion

Again, congratulations to you boys and girls who are to receive our Lord in Holy Communion for the first time in just a few minutes; I’m sure you’re really excited.  You girls look so pretty in your white dresses and you boys look very handsome, too!  Do you know why so many of you are wearing white today?  When was the first time many of you wore white to church?  You don’t remember it, but for most of you it was when your parents and godparents […]

We’re all familiar with the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd.  But, what do you know about shepherding sheep?  If you’re like me, probably very little.  One of the important aspects of shepherding sheep, as opposed to herding cattle, is that, unlike cattle, who are best moved along from behind, sheep prefer to be led.  And, in our Lord’s time, almost all families had a little flock of sheep even if they lived in a small town or village.  Family members would take turns between farming their little plots […]

On this Third Sunday of Easter, as we continue to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we hear one of the most familiar stories in all of the gospels.  We all know this touching account of the two disciples encountering the risen Jesus as they were leaving Jerusalem and going to Emmaus.  We don’t know why they were traveling from Jerusalem to Emmaus.  Despite all of the archeological work done in the Holy Land, we’re not even sure where Emmaus was; it’s not there anymore.  But, […]