In the Gospel for this Sunday we meet a man who had been blind from birth. The disciples asked Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he is blind?” In Jesus’ time it was believed that anything bad that happened to someone was punishment from God. So it would have made sense […]
This Sunday we travel with Jesus to Samaria, where we encounter the woman at the well. She offers Jesus a drink of water, and He says to her, “If you knew who I am, you would ask me for a drink, and I would give you water that would spring up within you, and you […]
This Sunday, the Gospel tells the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus. The Transfiguration is a strange, almost dream-like, experience for the Apostles. Undoubtedly, they did not know what to make of what they saw and would not be able to make sense of it till after the Resurrection. Jesus had begun talking about His […]
Each year on the First Sunday of Lent the Church celebrates the Rite of Election. This is one of the rites that make up what has traditionally been called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, or RCIA. This has been changed over the past year, and it is now called the Order of Christian […]
This week we begin the season of Lent, with Ash Wednesday. Masses will be at 12:05 pm and 6:30 pm. Lent is a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter. For 40 days we pray, fast and give alms, we go to confession, and seek to open our hearts more fully than ever before […]
This Sunday our Liturgy of the Word begins with a reading from the Book of Sirach. In some Bibles the title of the book is the Wisdom of Ben Sira, which means son of Sira. It is also known as Ecclesiasticus, or Church Book, because it was widely used to teach converts. It is full […]
Violence seems to be everywhere in our world. The war between Russia and Ukraine rages on, with threats of the use of nuclear weapons and the spreading of the war into Europe. One of our generals says that he believes the United States will be at war with China by 2025 over Taiwan. That is terrifying, because that […]
This weekend we begin reading from one of the greatest sections in the entire Bible—The Sermon on the Mount. We will read from the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5, 6 and 7 of the Gospel of Matthew) for a few weeks and then, beginning on Feb. 26, we will shift into the readings for Lent. […]
In the Gospel for this week, Jesus begins His preaching ministry. His theme, which is the same as that of John the Baptist, is “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” What is this Kingdom of God, and what does it mean to repent? At times Jesus says, as He does in today’s Gospel, that […]
Monday of this week is the national holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In honoring him, we are also honoring all who have struggled to bring about equality and civil rights for all Americans, regardless of race. It has been said many times that racial injustice is the Original Sin of America. From the […]
