Posts by Arlene Braganza
The Lord Comes to Judge the Earth
Just two days ago we celebrated the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. This signifies that we are in the last week of Ordinary Time, and Advent will begin next Sunday. The readings over the last few days, and for the next few days henceforth, have been from the Book of…
Read MoreWe Are All Called
Today we celebrate the baptism of my grandnephew (baby of my niece). His name is Jordan, and we welcome him into our Catholic family. Our entire family realizes the importance and value of baptizing infants at an early age, wiping them clean of the stain of original sin and officially making them Catholics. I wonder…
Read MoreLife Rolls On
As I celebrate a milestone birthday today, it is also a time to reflect on my past and what is to come in the future. Today’s reading from Ecclesiastes is a famous one, beginning: “Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity! What profit has man from all the labor which…
Read MoreGo
The exhortation that St. Paul gives to the Church of the Thessalonians in today’s reading remindsme of the presentations my husband and I were so blessed to witness last month at the NationalEucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. Every one of the amazing speakers spoke of God’s love and His mercy being poured out, notonly to the…
Read MoreSaints Joachim and Anne: Grandparents
Today is the feast of Saints Joachim (sometimes spelled Joaquin) and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the grandparents of Jesus. There is no mention of them in the Scriptures, but tradition has it that they were childless and advanced in years when, after much praying and fasting, they finally had a daughter,…
Read MoreBear Good Fruit
A reflection on bearing good fruits from hearing God’s word. For the last couple of weeks, our daily readings have been from the second Book of Kings, which reminds me of the story books of my youth. The characters are so colorful and real; there are the honest ones and then there are the wicked…
Read MoreMost Holy Trinity
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! We begin every prayer with the Sign of the Cross, intoning the words mentioned above. Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity! What an amazing day to praise our Triune God, one God in three persons! Sometimes,…
Read MoreCarry Our Crosses
Jesus tenderly tells us today, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.” In this tumultuous world we live in, where there is so much discord and animosity, amidst wars breaking out in different parts of the globe, Jesus’ words are very comforting, and we should…
Read MoreWhat’s In a Name?
“The Lord called me from birth, From my mother’s womb he gave me my name.” The Lord has called each one of us, in our different capacities, to further the Kingdom of God. After reading the scriptures of today several times, what stood out to me were three very different and yet very significant figures…
Read MoreMercy
Today’s lesson is all about mercy. The responsorial psalm says “Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.” The act of mercy necessitates two major requirements. One would be to ask for it, in a humble and contrite way, as the prophet Daniel did in the first reading. He humbly admitted “we have…
Read More