After the Resurrection the disciples are reminded that they “are to be witnesses.” In English we use the word witness most often in a legal sense. A witness takes an oath to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I am reminded of a scene in the play A Man for… Read More »

If you family is anything like mine you have brothers and sisters, children and grandchildren who no longer practice the faith. Despite going to Catholic school and being well catechized, they simply stopped going to Mass. When you ask them about it they answer, “Uncle Johnny, I just don’t get anything out of it.” Mr… Read More »

The most poignant words in the Bible are addressed to Mary Magdalene by Jesus: “Do not hold on to me.” The scene is Easter Sunday. Mary in her loss and grief goes looking for Jesus and only finds an empty tomb. She encounters this seeming stranger and then realizes it is her dearest friend Jesus.… Read More »

During the days after Easter the first reading is taken not from an Old Testament book or from one of the epistles as is customary but from the Acts of the Apostles. The Church is teaching us in arranging the lectionary in this way that the Resurrection of Jesus was not meant for him alone.… Read More »

How can I keep from singing! On this Easter Sunday we gather in celebration, we gather in happiness, we gather in triumph. Jesus, the one who was battered and bruised, who was tortured and tormented, who was crushed and crucified has been raised from the dead. Jesus, our Risen Lord, has conquered all enemies, even… Read More »

This is a day of silence and stillness. We are in a time of pause between the agony of Good Friday and the joy of Easter. We are to notice emptiness. In our day we fill emptiness with FaceBook, Sirius Radio, streaming video, chat rooms. But the liturgy asks us to stop, be silent, reflect.… Read More »

It is customary on Good Friday to tell the story of the passion of the Christ using St. John’s account. Maybe because the fourth gospel does not contain a scene of what in the other three gospels is referred to as “the agony in the garden” — St. John begins his passion narrative with the… Read More »

We come to a deeper understanding of the gift of the Holy Eucharist when we see its origin at the Passover meal. Jesus gathered his disciples around him for the ritual meal which is still a part of Jewish piety. During the meal there is a ceremonial telling of the story of the first Passover.… Read More »

There has been 2000 years worth of questions about what motivated Judas to betray Jesus. The Bible does not tell us and we have no other sources so we can’t know for sure. My own speculation is that Judas never knew Jesus as a person. For him, Jesus was the savior of the nation, the… Read More »

Chapter 13 of St. John’s Gospel opens with the story of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. As the chapter continues Jesus confronts Judas Iscariot about “what you are going to do” and challenges Peter about his coming denial. In other words, Jesus washed the feet of those whom he knew were going to… Read More »