A few years ago, I had the privilege of being trained in a Montessori-style faith formation program called Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. In our training, I distinctly remember our Pentecost celebration. We solemnly processed around the classroom with our own individual, unlit candles, sang short, childlike hymns invoking the…
Today’s Gospel reading is a tough one to swallow. It describes the return to life of the Son of Nain. The scene opens with a burial group carrying the only son of Nain (a biblical town) out to the graveyard. He is the only son of the lady in the…
It was an interesting week with the computer. The latest mishap was Father’s laptop issues, coupled with an 18-hour drive from his “former parish” to a military base out East. Congratulations on the move! His reflection on his now lost Reflection for Today has to do with the Devotion of…
Sisters and Brothers in Christ, today’s Scripture readings take us on journey into the transformative power of Divine Mercy. In his letter to Timothy, St Paul shows us what mercy can do with the heart of a sinner. In the Gospel, Jesus reminds His followers of their essential mission: to…
The Gospel Passage: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? …Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that…
After presenting the Beatitudes, the keys that reveal where happiness lies (the Gospel of yesterday, Lk 6:20-26), Jesus now indicates the way to reach that true happiness. It is a hard path full of thorns, but worth taking. His words, in the Gospel of today, are demanding. “Love your enemies.”…
Years ago, I first mustered the courage to walk into a Catholic church, and I imagined I would stand out like a sore thumb. I assumed the people there would turn me out as soon as they saw me. As far as I knew, churches were for Caucasians who had…
I strongly believe that ardent Catholics are children of God. Our mission is to become good and obedient children of God, as we are his children, after all. We are his work, as we are his children, so he is compassionate to us, whether we know it or not. What…
The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a celebration of the birth of a historical figure, Mary, the Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Mary’s birthday is itself a profound reminder of God’s faithful and mysterious providence. Mary’s birth, quiet and hidden from the eyes of…
In the same way, anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple. Our Blessed Lord addresses us today with very difficult words, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life,…