Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord
The day began in triumph, with crowds of people waving palms amid joyful shouts. His entrance into Jerusalem caused quite a stir as ordinary people greeted Jesus like a long-awaited king. But popularity with the crowd is often a fickle thing.
2 days ago5 min read
Fifth Sunday in Lent
Three friends who die at the same time attend an orientation at the Pearly Gates. Saint Peter asks them, “At your funeral, as mourners pass by your open casket, what would you like to hear them say about you?” The first friend says, “I’d like to hear them say that I was a great physician.” The second friend says, “I’d like them to say that I was a caring schoolteacher who made a difference.” The third friend says, “I’d like them to say ‘Look! He’s moving! It’s the greatest co
Mar 223 min read
Fourth Sunday in Lent
So, think about it. Have you ever prayed for something, and then when it happens you convince try yourself that it was a natural consequence for which God played no part? Although sometimes our prayers do not seem to be answered, at other times we have no doubt that we have received a healing, or our needs were heard and answered. For example, after much prayer, a risky pregnancy may end in a healthy baby. You might pray for a new job, and right after prayer, the phone rings
Mar 155 min read
Third Sunday in Lent
Some of you may have noticed that the Gospel reading was longer than usual. No apologies: it is Lent, after all, and we have to get in shape for the reading of the Passion stories during Holy Week. Seriously, though, the story of the meeting of Jesus with this self-confident sinner is one of the great moments recorded in Jesus’ preaching and teaching career.
Mar 83 min read
Second Sunday in Lent
A woman was preparing for a vacation in Greece. Because she knew that the liturgical readings might be different, she called a Greek Orthodox church, which graciously offered to provide her with the correct readings. The secretary told her she just had to go to Mass at the Church of Saint Metamorphosis. Puzzled, the woman asked who that saint was, and the answer was “Holy Transfiguration.”
Mar 13 min read
First Sunday in Lent
Today’s readings, as we begin the season of Lent, give us two special reminders that will help us on our journey: Who God is and who we are as human beings.
Feb 223 min read
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Coming as they did from a Jewish background, some early Christians, thought that, in order to truly follow the teachings of Jesus, you began by keeping every bit of the Jewish law as handed down by God and interpreted by their ancestors. Other early Christians, equally serious about following Jesus, insisted that Jesus had brought a new way of thinking about the Jewish law, so that keeping the more than 600 laws that had grown up around the Ten Commandments was not the only w
Feb 154 min read
