The first vocation, or call, that we receive is the call to follow Christ as His disciples, and to be baptized. For many Catholics, there is a second call—either to marriage or to Holy Orders. Some, such as permanent deacons, are called to both marriage and Holy Orders. We all begin life as single, so those […]
The month of November begins with two of the greatest feasts of the Church. On Nov. 1, we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints, and on Nov. 2 we celebrate the Feast of All Souls. Throughout the Church’s liturgical year, many saints are honored. But there are far more men and women whom the Church […]
The first reading for this Sunday is from the Book the Wisdom of Sirach. In some Bibles, it is called the Book of Ecclesiasticus (the Book of the Church), because it was used so extensively in giving instructions to converts to Christianity. It is a collection of Wisdom sayings, intended to give ethical guidance to […]
Recently, the Church celebrated the feast of St. Jerome, the great Biblical scholar, and the patron saint of Scripture scholarship. He is famous for his statement that, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ,” making it clear how important it is for all of us to read and pray and study the Word of God. […]
I am always struck by the difference between feeling blessed and feeling lucky. Luck is just about a random experience of good. For instance, if I win the lottery, I am lucky. God is not picking lottery winners. Praying to win the lottery is asking God to cheat. To be blessed is to know that […]
The month of October is set aside by the Church as Respect Life Month, and the first Sunday of October is Respect Life Sunday. In the past few months, we have seen a remarkable change in the pro-life landscape with the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, which had made abortion legal throughout the country. The […]
In the Gospel for this week, we are told the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man. It is interesting to note that the rich man who “dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day” is not given a name in this story. But Lazarus, who “lay at the rich man’s […]
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has released the National Synthesis document, which summarizes the feedback from all the Synod listening sessions. Please take some time to read this fascinating report, representing 700,000 participants and 22,000 parishes/groups. More information will be coming soon regarding how to help us strengthen the culture of synodality and […]
In the Gospel for this Sunday, we hear of a bad steward who had misused his position for his own purposes, rather than the purposes of his employer. We are reminded that we, too, are stewards. All that we have, including our material goods, our own bodies, and our very lives are not truly ours. […]
The 15th chapter of the Gospel of Saint Luke is one of the most important in the Bible. It has been called the Gospel in miniature. In this chapter, we hear three of the greatest of all of the parables of Jesus and one which is the most important and greatest of all. In this […]
