In the prayer  of the Church called the Liturgy of the Hours there is a daily reading from one of the Fathers of the Church or a saint or Church document. Today’s reading was from St. Dorotheus of Gaza, a sixth century monk. He challenges us: where do disturbances come from? His answer, because no… Read More »

Today the Church celebrates a new feast: Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. The interesting lesson chosen for the date is from the story of the temptation of Adam and Even in Genesis.  God asked the woman, “Why did you do such a thing?” The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me into it, so… Read More »

The Holy Spirit seems to like a crowd. In St. John’s Gospel when the Risen Jesus appeared and breathed on the shocked and awed disciples saying “receive the Holy Spirit” it was not to individuals but to the group as a whole that he came. In St. Luke’s account of the first Pentecost, the dramatic… Read More »

You’ve got to love St. Peter. He was so much like us — a combination of faithful dedication and human frailty. Right after he endured the excruciating triple examination by Jesus of his motivations (“Simon Peter, do you love me?”) he betrayed the same tendencies that got him in trouble in the first place. “What… Read More »

A common complaint is that our era — with secularism, materialism, consumerism — is hostile to living the gospel. Actually in every era Christians have made the same complaint. The symptoms might change but “the world” has different values than the gospel.  Remember when Paul was being held in prison he used his right as… Read More »

John 17 is called by scholars the “high priestly prayer” of Jesus. He knows that he will not be with this disciples much longer so he prays to God for them. At the end of the prayer he adds this petition: “I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in… Read More »

Jesus prayed to God for his disciples since  “the world hated them because they do not belong to the world.” When St. Paul give his final admonition to the “presbyters of the Church of Ephesus” he warned them savage wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock.  Both the Lord and the… Read More »

I might have to re-think preaching at funerals. I usually say something like: “the beloved departed now lives in a richer and fuller eternal life.” But Jesus taught that eternal life begins today.  Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. We… Read More »

Jesus said, “In the world you will have trouble.”  He got that right! We can simply add the pandemic to the whole list of troubles that plague us in the world: war, racism, urban violence, violence against women, child abuse, poverty, global warming, lack of educational opportunities … I could go on but you get… Read More »

It must have been 1970 or 71. The seminarians gathered on a hill behind the main building to celebrate Ascension Day Mass. Bright and sunny with a nice breeze. The opening song which featured guitar and tambourine was “Up, up, and away” accompanied, of course, by a release of helium balloons. The closing song was… Read More »