Today is the optional memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lourdes. Many pilgrims from all over the world travel to this French town to ask for Mary’s intercession for their own healing or that of others. And Jesus himself in the Gospel reveals himself as the source of all…
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Churches have had a way of following me throughout my youth. In the years before my conversion, our family moved through several different towns, and oddly enough, near each home there was always a church. Our drives home from school were always marked by the presence of a church. Here…
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Today’s readings awaken the primordial longing in humanity to dwell in the presence of God. At Eden, God raised a virgin garden where the human intimate desire to abide in God’s presence was nurtured. As an unweaned baby found bliss in its mother’s bosom, so Adam’s prenuptial yearnings found fulfillment…
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The readings for today are clear and emphatic about one thing: the relevance and aim of the Christian faith and its message. The first reading, from Isaiah 58:7–10, speaks of true fasting as having the purpose of kindness and social transformation. The prophet is commanded to condemn the formalism of…
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In both readings today, we see the pursuit of wisdom. In the first reading, Solomon asks wisdom from God and is granted it to reign over the kingdom of Israel. The Gospel shows the people receiving an overflowing wisdom from Our Lord in His teaching. The people are so eager…
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Today’s Gospel recounts for us the death of John the Baptist. Mark’s Gospel gives us some profound insights into Herod’s character, insights that can help us to grow in our spiritual lives. The context for the event is interesting: the people are talking about Jesus, and who He might be.…
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In today’s Gospel, the Lord calls the Twelve to himself and begins sending them out two by two. Here is the sign of every vocation: it is the Lord who calls and sends. Many times, we can self-appoint or auto-call ourselves to things we like; we do many things because…
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The readings for today provoke us to reflect on forgiveness. Have I forgiven those who have harmed me? Have I asked forgiveness of those I have harmed? Yet more importantly, lost at times in our focus on woundedness and hurt is a deeper truth: Forgiveness is the place where we…
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Today’s readings remind us that Christ, rather than death, has the last word. In the Old Testament reading, the writer presents the story of Absalom and his father, David. At this point in the story, Absalom has received counsel to kill David, his father, so that he might ascend the…
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The Nunc Dimitis is a Latin phrase that means “Now let your servant depart.” The phrase comes from the first two words of Simeon’s prayer. Today, we celebrate the Presentation of the Lord Jesus Christ in the temple. During this beautiful event, as recorded in the Gospel of Luke (Luke…
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