Advent Opportunity

Most of us are familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan and his extraordinary generosity. He is greatly touted because of the service he offers to a foreigner who has been ignored by high church officials. The story mentions…

How Mary shared her story

“Faith is an encounter with Jesus Christ, with God, from which faith is born, and from there it brings you to witness,” Pope Francis tweeted. That’s what happened to the Virgin Mary. Mary’s encounter with God’s messenger changed her life….

Someone’s Gotta Be Sent

Today’s First Reading for the Feast of the Apostle Andrew captures the passion of St. Paul and glorious victory we have in Jesus Christ’s salvation won for us! Writing to believers in Rome, Paul breaks into fantastic rhetorical emphasis, exclaiming:…

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…

Semen est sanguis Christianorum – “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church”

 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together upon him.  Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a…

Black Friday thoughts on greed

…Their hearts are trained to be greedy… 2nd Peter 2:14 (GNT) Greed is something we learn, maybe without even realizing it. While there’s nothing wrong with wanting or enjoying nice things, when we demand more than our share, when we…

A Seeking Heart – Where I’d put Jesus

I absolutely love that tradition of waiting to put Baby Jesus in the Nativity Scene until Christmas Morning. I, however, have never followed it because I am truly worried I will forget where I hid Baby Jesus. In addition, my…

Five Mercies we can Learn from and Pray

I’m counting the days. Why? Because this Extraordinary Jubilee Year is exactly what I need when I need it. Of course, mercy is pretty much what everyone needs every day. We’re all miserable sinners, after all. And if we’re not…

Crisis Management with Padre Pio

Most faithful Catholics, at one time or another, have experienced the anguish of a loved one walking away from the Lord, the Church, or both. Some live through the daily heartache of children who have strayed from the fold; others…

The Lord’s Prayer Part 1: The Heavenly Family

The Lord’s Prayer, also commonly known as the “Our Father” is the perfect prayer of Jesus Christ. When His disciples asked Him how we should pray, Jesus did not give a vague subjective answer. He said, “This is how you…