As if the coronavirus pandemic isn’t enough of a worldwide crisis, now we’re struggling with extreme temperature swings and ongoing storms not only here but in unusual spots around the world.  Did you see the photograph of the Pantheon in Athens covered with snow?  It’s such an unusual event that the place has been packed not with tourists but locals coming to take a look.  And, on the other hand, there was recently a tragedy in India where dozens of people lost their lives due to flooding caused by heavy […]

“I just can’t wait until we get back to normal, whatever that is!”  That’s one of the refrains we have all heard so often over this past year as we continue to struggle through this coronavirus pandemic.  We also hear comments about a new normal, where things will be different but we’ll get used to it. Wearing masks, bumping elbows rather than shaking hands, keeping a safe distance may all become the new normal and we’ll just have to adjust.  It makes me think of the new normal that we […]

Fortunately, Hansen’s Disease – the medical name for leprosy – is almost a thing of the past.  There are currently only about half a million known cases of the disease worldwide.  But, we are still struggling to control other infectious diseases, such as the common cold, the flu, HIV and now, COVID-19; it’s caught all of us in its grip, hasn’t it!?!  And so, we can identify with today’s readings.  Just as the people in ancient Israel didn’t understand leprosy, what caused it and how it was spread, so we […]

We don’t often hear from the Book of Job at Sunday Mass.  In fact, we only hear from it twice in the three-year reading cycle, and only in Year B, as we are in this year.  Today’s reading is a good reason why we don’t – it’s really rather depressing, isn’t it?  We hear Job complain: “Is not man’s life on earth a drudgery? …So I have been assigned months of misery, and troubled nights have been allotted me.”  Not very good news, is it?  I don’t know about you, […]

Recently, a man stood inside one of the entrances to a Metro Station in Washington, D.C., playing some Bach pieces on a violin.  He played for about 45 minutes in the middle of rush hour as thousands of people bustled past.  A few slowed down for a moment to listen before scurrying on.  Several children stopped to listen but were hurried along by their parents.  After he finished, the man just walked away; no one stopped to applaud or thank him.  This man was Joshua Bell, one of the best […]

As we grow older and prepare for our transition from this life into the next, we often find ourselves wondering about the legacy we will leave our family and the world.  Will it be a list of successful accomplishments?  Will it be various donations made to charitable organizations or a trust fund or foundation that has been set up to help others in need?  Perhaps our legacy will be a monetary inheritance left to family members or friends.  Whatever the legacy may be, it is meant to benefit future generations […]

(I used the readings from the Mass During the Day except for the Gospel, substituting Mt. 1:18-25 from the Vigil Mass) 

It was such a difficult and stressful time.  Surrounded by a ruthless enemy who was interested only in taking advantage of them and swooping down without warning to terrorize them and their families, life was very hard.  Oh, to be free from this menace.   

This description could apply for all of us today as we continue to be surrounded by our enemy, the coronavirus, but it also describes the world […]

We all know the story of King David.  We recall how he slew Goliath.  We know how the prophet Samuel anointed him as king to replace Saul.  We remember how he had to flee from Saul, who tried for years to kill him.  Today’s first reading shows King David finally settled in his palace in Jerusalem.  It had been a very difficult journey in faith for him but finally he was at peace.  So, we might picture him sitting on his couch playing his harp and singing one of his […]

Rejoice always!  Today is known as Gaudete Sunday.  We wear rose vestments and light the rose candle on the Advent wreath.  Unlike the purple vestments and dark purple candles, which call us to repentance, the rose candle and rose vestments invite us to have a lightness, a joyful spirit as the end of Advent approaches and the celebration of Christmas draws near – it’s less than two weeks away; are you ready?  The word, “Gaudete” is Latin for “rejoice” and, in today’s second reading, we hear St. Paul exhort the […]

“Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.” This, the opening line of today’s first reading, is one of the most reassuring passages in the Scriptures, and one that we all long to hear especially at this time as we continue to struggle through the coronavirus pandemic. We can all use some comfort these days, especially from God. Our first reading goes on to explain the reason for the comfort that God is offering his people: “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service is at […]