In all of sacred scripture, there are only two accounts that tell us of the life of Jesus between his birth and his public ministry: his presentation in the temple – as we celebrate today – and his finding in the temple when he was twelve years old. We hear the account of Jesus in the temple every three years on Sunday but the account we heard today about his presentation in the temple occurs on a Sunday only when the second of February is a Sunday; the last time […]
“Now the Lord has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb” (Isaiah 49:5). As we hear proclaimed so clearly in today’s first reading, each of us is God’s servant even while we are still in our mother’s womb. On this, the eve of the 47th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, allow me to offer some reflections on the tragedy that continues to misdirect our nation.
On 22 January 1973, the Supreme Court decided on not one, but two abortion cases: Roe v. Wade, challenging a Texas abortion […]
As we come to the end of the Christmas season, we continue to hear from the Gospel of Matthew. As I’m sure you know, throughout this year, Year A of the Liturgical cycle, St. Matthew’s Gospel is the featured gospel and we hear his account of Jesus’ baptism. All three of the synoptic gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke – report the baptism of our Lord because it is a very important event in the life of Jesus. After being born in Bethlehem and spending some time as a refugee […]
“We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” As I ride my bike through the neighborhood, I see so many Christmas trees already 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 in the playoffs 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 […]
“And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” As the world celebrates the beginning of a new year with fireworks, parties and parades, we come to celebrate New Year’s Day by reflecting on the most important new beginning in all of history – the birth of Jesus. By having his Son born of a woman, God has invited us to participate in the mystery of our salvation.
This first solemnity of the New Year is one that celebrates Mary, and her role as the Mother of God. […]
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with some time to enjoy this special time with your families. And, I hope you didn’t encounter too many problems as you spent more time with each other than you usually do; that can sometimes lead to unpleasant moments. I don’t know about you but I don’t know a family that hasn’t had its struggles. Sometimes the struggles are very evident for all to see; other times, they’re hidden from public view but still very real. My parents divorced after quietly struggling […]
Have you ever noticed that we human beings have a seemingly infinite capacity to complicate things? It’s like we have a built-in aversion to the simple. We often take the simplest situation and we make it a complicated affair. As they say, we make mountains out of molehills. And, when we do, we often miss the real point. But, when you get the heart of it, often the greatest experiences of life, and the greatest insights, have a way of turning out to be very simple. Take Christmas, for example. […]
Let me wish all of you, once again, a very blessed Christmas! We gather this evening to celebrate the most blessed event of all time: the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We hear, once again in today’s Gospel, the story of his birth. It is the story of Joseph and Mary putting their trust in God and cooperating in his plan of salvation for all of us.
So, let me ask you, have you finished wrapping all your gifts – or maybe you’re putting them in gift bags? […]
Finally, just six years ago, in 2013, Pope Francis decreed that St. Joseph should be included by name in the Eucharistic Prayers, when we mention Mary, the apostles and martyrs and all the saints whom we wish to join in the glory of heaven. It’s about time that we recognize his extraordinary place in Salvation History; we hear about it today. Just like Mary, we hear very little about Joseph in the Bible. Outside of Matthew and Luke’s infancy narratives, Joseph is mentioned only in the Gospel of John where […]
Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” We tend to think that Jesus endured a trial only at the end of his life before the Sanhedrin and the Roman leaders. But, if we read the Gospels more carefully, we see that Jesus was on trial for the entirety of his public ministry, from friend and foe alike. Every time he did or said something – healed the sick, raised the dead, forgave sins, asserted that he was one with God – we hear […]