Readings for the 4th Sunday of Advent, December 20, 2015 The Beatitudes rank high on the list of all-time favorite Bible passages. But what is “beatitude,” anyway? In the bible, a “blessed” person is someone who has received gifts of…
The First Believer
What the Baptist can teach us about Joy
Readings for the 3rd Sunday of Advent, December 13, 2015 On the third Sunday of Advent, the penitential purple of the season changes to rose and we celebrate “Gaudete” or “Rejoice!” Sunday. “Shout for joy, daughter of Sion” says Zephaniah….
Advent: The Season of Hope
Readings for the 2nd Sunday of Advent, Dec 6, 2015 Faith, hope, and love. St. Paul, in I Corinthians 13:13, say these three are the bottom line. They are called the theological virtues, the qualities that make us most like…
Advent: The Reason for the Season
Sunday Readings for Nov 29, the 1st Sunday of Advent “Advent” is simply the Latin word for “coming.” If we can manage to meditate on any “coming” in December besides the comings and goings of Christmas shopping, it would be…
Christ the King
Sunday Readings for Nov 22, the 34rd Sunday in Ordinary Time From the dawn of civilization, kings have arisen who have dreamed of possessing a world-wide dominion, a universal kingdom that would last forever. Some have come close to conquering…
Hasten the End
Sunday Readings for Nov 15, the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Whenever I lead a trip to the Holy Land, the question inevitably comes, “Will we visit Armageddon?’ This refers, of course, to the battlefield surrounding the ancient city of…
The Window’s Mite
Readings for Nov 8, 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time The time lag between the two widows in this Sunday’s readings was considerable. Lots of things change in 800 years. But one thing their two societies had in common–they offered neither…
All Saints Day means Holiness for All!
Readings for the Solemnity of All Saints, Nov.1 At age 16, I thought that aspiring to holiness was out of the question. If you really wanted to be holy, I thought, you had to be a priest, nun, or brother….
The Blind Man Speaks Up
October 25, 2015 the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time There were hundreds in the crowd that day at Jericho. No doubt all of them had needs, many of them urgent. But this Sunday’s gospel tells us that apparently only one…
John and James
Readings for October 18, 2015 , 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B It was time to make their move. Usually it was Peter who took the initiative, but now it was their turn. They cleared their throats and asked…