At the sixth provincial council in Baltimore (1846) the assembled bishops petitioned Pope Pius IX that Mary, the Immaculate Conception be named the patroness of the United States. (The dogmatic definition of the Immaculate Conception occurred later, in 1854.) The Holy Father approved and since that time the United States has been under the protection… Read More »

Jesus does not say that becoming his follower makes everything hunky-dory. Rather, he offers a swap: trade the yoke of our labors and burdens for his and find things are easy and light. We bear our yoke when we insist that things have to go a certain way for us to be happy. When (inevitably)… Read More »

Starting with chapter 40, the book of the prophet Isaiah reflects the time of the exile of Israel. Those who remembered the message of hope and faith delivered by the eighth century B.C. individual named Isaiah applied a similar message to the new situation in the sixth century B.C. The chapter begins with an image… Read More »

The story of Jesus healing the paralyzed man certainly intents to demonstrate the healing and forgiving power of Jesus. But I was struck that what occasioned this manifestation of divine power was not simply the need of the individual but the care extended by his friends. “When Jesus saw their faith” the gospels report, he… Read More »

The Advent season, the Church’s preparation for the coming of Jesus into our world, has little in common with the frenzy of society in these days before Christmas. The story of Jesus during Advent is not about sugar plum fairies, it’s about reality. The theme of Church’s Advent season as distinct from the however-many-shopping-days-before-season, is… Read More »

At the heart of the missionary impulse lies love. Because you love this person you want them to be happy, to live life to the full. You share with them the good news that gives you joy and provides meaning to your life as if bringing bread to a starving man. On this day when… Read More »

Did St. Matthew want us to smile? “Jesus warned them sternly, ‘See that no one knows about this.’ But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.” Even Jesus couldn’t get people to behave! What lay behind Jesus’ (ignored) command to keep their cure private? My guess is that Our Lord… Read More »

Isaiah reassured the people of Jerusalem when they were under threat. “A strong city have we; he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us…Trust in the LORD forever!” The people did trust in the Lord and they were delivered. A century later Jeremiah warned the inhabitants of Jerusalem of impending doom. But what about… Read More »

My guess is that Zebedee was not happy. He had worked hard to build up his fishing business. Finally, his sons were grown and they would be able to take over and he could rest a bit. But this itinerant preacher, Jesus, comes and tells them to follow him and they do it. They left… Read More »

Many years ago I worked at a parish in Louisiana. This was in the years after “separate but equal” schools were declared illegal in the US and this small town had only one elementary school, one junior high school and one high school. When I would visit the elementary school it was a joy to… Read More »