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, […]

God’s peace and mercy.  That’s what we celebrate today as we come to the end of the Octave of Easter.  Three times in today’s gospel, we hear Jesus say: “Peace be with you.”  And, this isn’t just a pleasant greeting but a powerful assurance.  Jesus has just overcome death and the power of sin in our lives through his rising from the dead and now he comes in the midst of his followers who were hiding in a room with locked doors out of fear and says: “Peace be with […]

Again, allow me to wish all of you a joyous Easter with a hopeful message we all need during these most challenging times.  Christ is risen! Alleluia!  These are the victorious words we shout with gusto on this greatest of all feast days and especially at this time of political, social, military and climactic turmoil.  But, in order to fully appreciate them, we need to go back in time to the people who first discovered this reality. We need to put ourselves inside their skin and see with their eyes.  […]

The Easter Vigil is the holiest night in all the year, and yet Christmas Eve seems to get all the attention.  At Christmas Eve, so many people come to church that we have to three Masses.  Tonight, our church is only 2/3 full.  I imagine this is the case because of all the excitement of receiving gifts at Christmas.  And, as you know, we exchange gifts at that time as a sign of the great gift we receive at Christmas – our Lord, Jesus.  But, at Christmas, the full importance […]

We begin tonight the Sacred Triduum, the three days that call us together to celebrate the mysteries of our redemption.  In order to help us enter more deeply into these mysteries, each celebration that occurs on these three days has its own unique character and particular points of emphasis.  They move us from the events that occurred at the Last Supper, to our Lord’s Passion and death on the cross, and finally to the Easter Vigil, when we joyfully celebrate our Lord’s Resurrection from the dead which gives each of […]