The meeting. What picture of those two words conjure up in our minds? Perhaps one of those meetings that drag on and seem to have no intention of ever coming to an end. On the other hand, they may suggest and altogether different kind of get-together, like the gathering of family and friends. Or again […]
Presentation of the Lord – “A†– February 2, 2014 Read More »
Today’s Gospel story teaches us how simple the whole notion of a vocation is. Jesus approaches the people He wants to be His followers, asks them a question, and their response is immediately to leave everything and follow Him. He meets them where they are, in their everyday lives, in the workplace, and puts the
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time – “A†– January 26, 2014 Read More »
Just as Jesus begins His public life in the presence of the Holy Spirit, so He will end it in an outpouring of that same Holy Spirit on His disciples. The challenge for us is how we too receive that gift with open hearts and what we do with it in our lives. We have
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time – “A†– January 19, 2014 Read More »
Today’s Gospel takes place years later, when Jesus arrived at the River Jordan where His cousin John practised a baptism of repentance and foretold the coming of the Messiah. How well did Jesus and John know each other? They probably knew the stories surrounding each other’s birth, but just as every human life is an
Baptism of our Lord – “A†– January 12, 2014 Read More »
In writing to the people of Colossae, St. Paul gives a very impressive list of virtues, and he talks about them as if they were the clothes that we wear in everyday life. Every day we have to put these clothes on – compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience. Do you wear these clothes every day?
Solemnity – Holy Family – “A†– January 5, 2014 Read More »
Most people in America are familiar with this passage, even though they rarely crack open a Bible. Let’s start looking at the most obvious feature of the story. Who does God announce the birth of His Son to? Who does He invite to come and see the new Baby? A collection of sheep herders! There
Solemnity – Humble Shepherds – “A†– December 29, 2013 Read More »
When we meet together on Christmas Day for this great solemnity it can seem quite noisy, or at least there may be plenty of talking, music and singing. Just imagine sitting in church and never uttering or hearing a word – there would be only silence. But the Lord, the God of Israel, is a
Christmas Day – December 25, 2013 Read More »
Tonight the Gospel presents us with the family: Mary, Joseph and their newborn child, Jesus. And we are told that this scene is a sign which the shepherds guarding their flocks at night must seek out. The angels tell them that in that child they will find a Savior: “A Savior has been born to
Christmas Eve Mass of the Shepherds – “A†– December 24/25, 2013 Read More »
The Hebrew sacred scriptures are brimming with the expectation of the justice and peace, the Messiah and the reign of God that will one day come to this world. The Christian sacred scriptures are full of the same expectation and hope. We hear the word “Emmanuel†in our readings twice this Sunday, first in the
Fourth Sunday of Advent – “A†– December 22, 2013 Read More »
The most famous story of Charles Dickens is A Christmas Carol published in 1843, whose central character bears the name that has come to personify all that is mean and misery – Scrooge. The surviving partner of a London firm of moneylenders and now an old man for whom life means no more than making
Third Sunday of Advent – “A†– December 15, 2013 Read More »