Daily Reflections
Last week, we heard a lecture by Rev. Sr. Malmann, who survived cancer and authored a book about her survival. The title of the book is The Goldthreads Between Heaven and Earth: Living the Faith in Difficult Moments. (Goldfäden zwischen Himmel und Erde: Glauben in dunklen Stunden). The purpose of…
Read More
When I read Paul’s opening line to the Romans in today’s first reading, “Brothers and sisters: I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us,” I take some comfort in this. I am sure all of us are…
Read More
Our life in this mortal frame is often subject to forces beyond our control. We are often victims of forces that keep us in bondage, but there are also forces that bring liberation. These two opposed brands of forces are well captured in the liturgical readings of this day. The…
Read More
The liturgy today speaks so much of both the contrast and the union of sorrow and joy in our lives! The prophet Jeremiah is God’s most beautiful mouthpiece when he says, “They departed in tears, but I will console them and guide them; I will lead them to brooks of…
Read More
Jesus’ Stand on Good and Evil My dear friends, the Gospel today begins with two incidences of disasters that can challenge one’s faith and belief in God. This is because we normally have the wrong notion – as some of the Jews did at the time of Jesus – that…
Read More
Today marks one of my favorite saints’ feast day, Pope Saint John Paul II. Four years ago, I had the opportunity to travel throughout Poland and follow the life of this great saint. By the end of the trip, I had heard one phrase most used to describe him, “he…
Read More
Today’s psalm speaks of the person who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on his law day and night. A good starting point to meditate on God’s law or word is lectio divina. But rather than concentrating on lectio, I would like to focus briefly on God’s…
Read More
Sin promises liberation. For example, sexual liberation, with slogans like “Express yourself”; “If it feels good, do it”; and “Make love, not war.” Sin always extracts much more than it promises and fleetingly delivers, however. This reality is expressed in truisms, including “Moral absolutes substantiate themselves absolutely”; “God sometimes punishes…
Read More
In the end, it all hinges on free will. In St. Paul’s marvelous letter, he reminds the Romans and us of that “happy fault” that caused sin to enter the world yet won for us so great a redeemer. And through the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus, the Christ, we are…
Read More
St. Luke the evangelist can be particularly dear to us because he is the “evangelist of Our Lady.” Only from him did we get handed down to us the accounts of annunciation, visitation, the scenes of Christmas, and the presentation in the temple of Jesus. And we can say he…
Read More