General
Reflection on the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
About 15 years ago, my cousin married for the second time. She was 65, and the groom was 67. It was his first marriage. The wedding was relatively small —…
Read MoreReflection on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
Good morning, everyone! Before I get into the heart of today’s Gospel, I want to share something lighthearted I heard many years ago. It goes like this: In recent years…
Read MoreReflection on the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord
Back when I was a fairly serious gardener, my overwhelming experience of spring was promise. The apricot tree would wait to bud until after the last hard freeze; the strawberries…
Read MoreReflection on the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God
Numbers 6:22-27, Galatians 4:4-7, Luke 2:16-21 We just heard in the first reading about God telling Moses to instruct Aaron and his children just how to bless the people. A…
Read MoreReflection on the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
1 Samuel 1:20-28 1 John 3:1-24 Luke 2:41-52 The focus of this Sunday in Christmas week is family. We celebrate the…
Read MoreReflection on the Vigil of the Nativity of the Lord
This evening, we begin our celebration of the incarnation, God’s choice to live in our midst in the person of Jesus. What a wonderful gift to us. But I would…
Read MoreLoretto Retreat Centers payment form – simplified
This is the alternate payment form to pay for services provided by Cedars of Peace or Knobs Haven. To complete the form, you will need to know the total amount…
Read MoreReflection on the Fourth Week of Advent
“During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country, in haste, to a town of Judah, where she entered the house and greeted Elizabeth.” We have all…
Read MoreReflection on the Third Sunday of Advent
When I worked at the Zoo, I had two favorite animals I liked to use in programs because they had such cool adaptations. One was the hedgehog. Generally, a hedgehog…
Read MoreReflection on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception
When I was about 9 and my mother was pregnant and told me she was carrying a child in her womb, all of a sudden I recognized the word womb…
Read MoreReflection on the Second Sunday of Advent
When I first read these readings several weeks ago, I had a variety of wonderful thoughts related to being wrapped in God’s cloak of justice, continuing the good work that…
Read MoreReflection on the First Sunday of Advent
Jeremiah 33:14-16 Thessalonians 3:12–4:2 Luke 21:25-36 I struggled with today’s readings and was relieved to find that even the scholarly have difficulties with Advent. Words of several commentators mirrored my…
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