Spiritual Reflections

The Gospel we just heard sounds like Christmas all over again. The shepherds have made their way to Bethlehem. Mary, Joseph and the child are there, just as the angel had told them earlier. At the end of today’s Gospel, the…

Today is the feast of the Holy Family. The whole world seems to love a good family story and the entertainment industry knows it. “The Godfather,” which introduced us to the Corleone family, ran through two sequels by popular demand.…

“Who are you, God?” she asked. And God replied: “I Am. I am who I am.” “I am the origin of all life. I am the energy that drives everything in the universe. I am love. “Tonight, we celebrate two…

Good morning, everyone!  Today, on this last Sunday of Advent, I want to tell you a story about Mary, the key figure of Luke’s Gospel, but my story hinges on a modern-day painting by American artist John Carrol Collier.  I…

John 1:6-8, 19-28 Let’s begin by remembering the word Advent: 1) ” – ad venir,” a word suggesting awaiting, anticipating, something about to happen, expectation or surprise. “- Be ready,” and the word suggests that it may be soon. Be…

Where are you?  I was afraid.  God chose us in Christ.  In love God destined us for adoption through Jesus. Hail Mary, full of Grace;  do not be afraid;  the Holy Spirit will come upon you;  nothing is impossible with God.…

Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11        Ps 85:9-14        2 Peter 3:8-14        Mark 1:1-8 “Make way, make way” is a refrain usually shouted by those who announce the coming of someone important.   In Biblical times,…

Once again, we have arrived at the First Sunday of Advent and the  beginning of a new liturgical year. We’ve been here many times before, and it’s a good time to consider where we are and where we need to go…

Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17; I Corinthians 15:20-26, 28; Matthew 25:31-46 Here we are, on the last Sunday of the liturgical year, celebrating Christ as king.  For some of us, “king” may carry negative connotations — kings and their subjects, power and…

I remember a talk by Dominic Crossan about the parables, and there was one one comment that stuck with me. It was that Jesus didn’t give the parables to answer some dilemma. The parable was meant to provoke a response in…

As we move closer to the end of the liturgical cycle, the Gospel readings point toward the death of Jesus on the cross and to the resurrection. As one commentary put it, the whole of each Gospel is but a…

Revelation 7:2 ff. 1 John 3:1 ff. Matthew 5:1 ff. Happy All Saints Day! We have a set of readings today that tell us how one gets to be a saint. Each scriptural passage seems to say, do this and…