The theme that jumped out at me after completing the readings was about dealing with how we conduct ourselves as if Earth is our final destination, versus how we conduct ourselves if Heaven is an option after death. Most of us will strive to reach Heaven, which is what we…
One of the most frustrating things I experience from time to time is losing things or more specifically, misplacing them and not being able to remember where I was when I last saw them. Car keys are the worst, especially when I am already running behind schedule and need to…
“…I will reject no one who comes to me. Rather, I will raise him on the last day” (John 6:37, 40). Today is somber because we remember and particularly pray for the dead. Traditionally, one of the Masses today is celebrated at the cemetery. That is how intensely other-worldly today…
November 1 is a special day when the Church celebrates All Saints, what used to be known as All Hallows Day. But, you might ask, do you mean Halloween? Not really, although they have the same root word, from Old English Hallow, which means the saints or the holy. For those…
I remember when I went for my home furlough, I visited my high school alma mater and helped with the confession of the high school kids. While the kids were in adoration, a student came up to me and asked for some advice regarding a friend. We chatted for some…
The first reading for today’s Mass, from the book of Wisdom, provides enough reflection for an entire notebook. The opening lines are a beautiful poetic description of God’s majesty and omnipotence. They are about as close as human language can come to describing the indescribable. After setting the stage by…
Peter Recalls They were part of our world and we learned to step out of the way each time they swept across our paths – the Holy Ones, the Pharisees. Holiness was the fragrance that hung on their garments, alongside the jewels and golden tassels and you bowed your head…
Chosen for a Mission Today’s Gospel reading puts us at the scene of the selection of the twelve Apostles from the crowd of people following Jesus. We know that Jesus was in dialogue with his Father prior to this action. We know the choices were the will of the Father.…
When we are faced with challenges in life, we react in different ways. Either we lose hope, thinking that God and friends have deserted us and as a result abandon our goal. On the other hand, there is the possibility that we still hold on, with the belief that God…
Today’s Gospel reading is very powerful – it talks about the final judgment. Not THE FINAL JUDGMENT which is at the end of the world, but our own final judgment – when we die and come face to face with God. The word “death” is not explicitly mentioned in the…