April 5, 2026

Happy Easter to all of you from the people of Our Savior and Mother of God Churches. This is the most important liturgical day of the year, even more important than Christmas, for we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord, through which we are saved from the threats of sin and death.
   
We especially welcome those of you who are visiting today, whether you are visiting family, or if you have been away from the Church for some time. Thank you for joining us. Your presence makes our celebration more complete.
   
Because of Easter, we are victorious over all those things that we will face in life. Our faith in the Risen Lord means that even though we will go through very difficult times, as St. Paul wrote, “We are victorious through Him who loves us.”
   
The major event at this time is the Easter Vigil. Last night 15 men and women were received into the Church. This is the most we have received in the time that I have been at Mother of God. Throughout the Diocese of Covington, we are seeing the same kind of results. There will be over 400 men, women and children who will enter the Church this year at Easter. This trend is happening around the country and the world.
   
One of the most moving parts of the Easter Masses is the renewal of baptismal promises. Catholics throughout the world will stand and recommit themselves to Christ and to the Church as they renew the sacred promises made for them as children, or later when they entered the Church. The priest then goes around the church sprinkling everyone with holy water.
—Fr. Mike Comer

March 29, 2026

Today we begin the most sacred and holy time in the Church’s year—Holy Week, during which we reflect on the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ. The liturgies of this week are intended to plunge us into the saving events through which Jesus defeated sin and death and won for us eternal life.
   
Palm/Passion Sunday begins outside (weather permitting) with the blessing of palms. This recalls the triumphal entry into Jerusalem by Christ and His Apostles. Riding on the back of a donkey, Jesus is greeted by hundreds of His followers, who proclaim Him to be the Son of David, the Messiah. After proceeding in, carrying our blessed palms, we have the reading of the Passion of St. Matthew.
   
The Chrism Mass, the Diocesan Mass to which all parishes are invited to attend, happens on Tuesday of Holy Week, at the Cathedral, at 7 pm. At that Mass, Bishop Iffert will bless the sacred oils (Oil of Catechumens, Oil of the Infirm, and the Sacred Chrism) that are used throughout the year. At the end of the liturgy, there will be a procession of parishes, during which the oils will be distributed. The bishop will also lead the priests in their annual renewal of their priestly promises.
   
On Holy Thursday, we celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, recalling the institution of the Eucharist, and the Washing of the Feet of the Apostles. That Mass will begin at 7:30 pm. It concludes with a procession with the Blessed Sacrament, an hour of adoration, and then the Eucharist is removed from the church. There will be a Holy Thursday dinner at 5:30 pm. All are welcome to attend.

On Good Friday we celebrate the Passion of the Lord. No Mass can be celebrated on Good Friday, but Communion will be distributed at the service. The priests and ministers enter in silence. Then we read the Passion of St. John. There are a long series of intercessions done by the priest and deacon. This is followed by the veneration of the Cross. We then celebrate Communion, followed by a silent, solemn recession.

Saturday is known as Holy Saturday. It continues our honoring of the death of Jesus. At sundown we begin the Easter Vigil, the most solemn Mass of the Church year.  The Jews counted their days from sundown to sundown, so liturgically we do the same. We have the Liturgy of Light with the lighting of the Easter fire, the Paschal candle, the procession with candles, and the singing of the Exultet. After the Liturgy of the Word, we have the Liturgy of Initiation. This year, at Mother of God Church, we have a fairly large group of people who will be baptized, confirmed and receive First Eucharist. All of  us will renew our baptismal promises at this Mass. Then we continue with the Mass.
   
Finally, there is Easter Sunday. Actually, it feels a little anti-climactic after all that has come before. The only special aspect of this morning’s Mass is the renewal of baptismal promises.
—Fr. Mike Comer

March 22, 2026

A few weeks before Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection, He was called to the tiny village of Bethany, to the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Martha and Mary had sent a desperate message to Jesus that His dear friend, their brother Lazarus, was gravely ill. Jesus waited for four days before setting off to their home. When He arrived, He was met by Martha who told Him that her brother was dead. She also said, in an almost accusatory tone, “If you had been here my brother would not have died.” Mary comes out to Jesus and speaks almost exactly the same words. “If you had been here my brother would not have died.” In other words, why weren’t you here.
   
Many of us have asked similar questions of Christ. Were you here when we were going through this terrible suffering? Why did you allow this tragic situation to happen? Where is God when we are going through tough times?

Jesus assures both Martha and Mary, and us, that He does care about our struggles, and that He is “the Resurrection and the Life.” He is the victory over suffering, sin and death. St. Paul, after listing many of the struggles that we face, wrote that “we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.” By raising Lazarus from the dead, He demonstrated that power.
     
Many years ago, I learned a saying that I have leaned on when in situations that seem overwhelming. I invite you to make it your own. “There is nothing that will happen to me today, or tomorrow, or any other day of my life, up to and including the day of my death, that God and I cannot handle together.”
—Fr. Mike Comer

March 15, 2026

Physical blindness is used as a metaphor in the New Testament to understand the reality of spiritual blindness. In today’s Gospel we meet a man who was born blind. Jesus had taken clay, spit on it, and rubbed the man’s eyes with the mud. He then told him to go and to wash in the Pool of Siloam. Having done so, he was able to see.
   
The Pharisees asked the man born blind how it was that he could now see. He responded that the man, Jesus, had rubbed mud on his eyes, sent him to wash, and now he could see. Three times he had to explain how he could see, but the Pharisees could not accept this. They could see physically, but they were blind spiritually. This recalls the words from the song Amazing Grace, in which we hear, “I was blind but now I see.”

Christ wants to heal us from our own spiritual blindness. This is the meaning of St. Paul’s words, “You must put on the mind of Christ,” so that we can see as Christ sees, as God sees, so that we can see things as they truly are. This is part of the conversion of Lent.
—Fr. Mike Comer

March 8, 2026

Lent is about preparing for baptism for our catechumens, and for those of us who are already baptized, Lent is preparation for renewing our baptisms. At all the Easter Masses, we will stand and renew our baptismal promises and will be sprinkled with holy water.
   
Today’s Gospel is especially pertinent to this theme of baptism, with the story of the Samaritan woman at the well, in which water is such a significant symbol of new life. As Jesus passes through Samaria, He comes to a well outside of a Samaritan village. He sends the Twelve into town to purchase supplies. After they have left, a woman from town comes to the well to fetch water to take home.

Jesus asked her for a drink of water, which shocked her, as a Jew will not use anything that has been touched by a Samaritan. When she objected, He said to her, “If you knew who is saying to you ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked me for a drink, and I would have given you water that would spring up within you living water.” He is, of course speaking of the living water of the Holy Spirit, which is poured out on us when we are baptized.

Water not only cleanses us but refreshes and fills us. So does the Holy Spirit cleanse us of all sin and fills us with grace and new life.
—Fr. Mike Comer

March 1, 2026

The Gospel for this Sunday is the Transfiguration of the Lord, one of the strangest and most mysterious events in the life of Jesus and His Apostles. Jesus takes Peter, James and John (His inner circle) up onto Mount Tabor. While there, He was transfigured before them, glowing with a bright light. They saw Him conversing with Moses, the Law Giver, and the prophet Elijah, each of whom had been dead for hundreds of years. Then there was the cloud of God’s glory, from which came God’s voice proclaiming, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him.”
   
Was this a vision given to the Apostles, or was it an historical event that occurred in space in time? It is hard to know for sure. But its meaning is very significant. Jesus had begun speaking of His Passion and Death in Jerusalem, and the Twelve were deeply shaken by this. They were losing faith in Him. The Transfiguration gave them the assurance that Jesus’ words were in line with the Old Testament (which the Jews called the Law and the Prophets) and with God Himself.

The Apostles would go through the terrible events of the Passion and Death of Jesus. Even though they had witnessed the Transfiguration, their faith in Him was damaged, but it was not destroyed. We go through things in our own life when we do not understand why God allows certain things to happen. May we reflect on the Transfiguration as God speaking to us, asking us to trust Him and His Son when we are hurting and confused.
—Fr. Mike Comer 

Feb. 22, 2026

Each year, the First Sunday of Lent is from one of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) and tells the story of the temptations of Jesus in the desert. This year we read from the Gospel of Matthew. Obviously, Jesus’ 40 days in the desert is the model for our 40 days of Lent. We too go into the desert to pray and fast, and to draw closer to God. We see that Jesus is also tempted by the devil during this time. Jesus rejects these temptations.
   
The story of the temptations of Christ is paired with our first reading, from the Book of Genesis, telling the story of the Fall. Adam and Eve accept the temptation of the serpent and eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They say yes to Satan, and Jesus says no. Adam and Eve represent all of us, as we, like them, have all fallen for the lies and false promises of the Evil One. Each one of us, like our first parents, have rejected God’s will and plan for us and followed the Great Liar. We are not victims of the Fall—we are volunteers.

In our second reading, St. Paul says that as all have fallen because of the sin of Adam, so all may be saved because of the obedience of Christ. Adam said no to God. Jesus said yes. We who follow Jesus want to learn how to say yes as He did and to reject, with Him, the lies of Satan.

The three disciplines of Lent (prayer, fasting and almsgiving), which I wrote about last week, are spiritual exercises that we do to strengthen our ‘Yes.’ Thinking in terms of physical exercise, as we lift weights or walk or run, we strengthen our muscles and our bodies. The same principle applies when we do these spiritual exercises. Our souls become stronger, more capable of resisting temptation and of choosing the path that God lays out for us.
—Fr. Mike Comer

Feb. 15, 2026

Lent begins this Wednesday. This is a season when we prepare ourselves for the celebration of Easter and the Sacraments of Initiation. All too often, I think people look at Lent as just a burden laid upon us by the Church, rather than as a time to grow in our relationship with Christ and to open ourselves to the graces of God in a fuller and more wondrous way than ever before. I hope that we can experience this Lent as a time of blessing and joy.
   
Certainly, there is a penitential aspect to the season of Lent. That is why the priest wears purple during this time. It is a call to conversion, to deepen our love for Christ and for His Gospel. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is highly encouraged during Lent, especially for anyone who has been away from that sacrament for some time. Jesus Himself gave us this sacrament on that first Easter night when He appeared to the Apostles, breathed on them, and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you shall forgive are forgiven them. Whose sins you shall retain are retained.” Please plan to go to Confession sometime during this Lent.
   
There are also three disciplines of Lent—prayer, fasting and almsgiving. These are practices that we should be engaged in throughout the year, but we focus on them especially during this time.

Prayer—To grow in relationship with Christ we must spend time with Him. In prayer we listen to Christ (especially if we are praying with Scripture) and sharing our own hearts with Him. One saint defined prayer as, “Heart speaks to Heart.” I suggest at least 15 minutes a day in prayer. It does not matter what prayer it is (Scripture, the rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, etc.). But pray, pray, pray. If you are already spending time in prayer, consider adding time to what you are already doing and try to focus on praying better, with greater attention and devotion.

A traditional Lenten prayer is the Stations of the Cross, when we reflect on the 14 moments of Jesus’ journey to Calvary. Deacon Brian will offer the Stations of the Cross on Fridays during Lent, immediately after the 12:05 pm Mass.

Fasting—The discipline of fasting includes those specific acts of fasting and abstinence that the Church requires of us and the tradition of giving something up during Lent. Catholics who are 14 years old or older are asked to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all the Fridays of Lent. Catholics, ages 14 to 59, are to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, eating only one full meal and two smaller meals that do not add up to a full meal. When we catch ourselves feeling hunger or wanting meat, we are reminded of the deeper hunger for God. “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
   
Almsgiving—Traditionally, almsgiving is about giving money to the poor. But it also includes all acts of charity that we provide to those who are needy. This can include visits or calls to the sick and shut-ins, helping the elder neighbor, dropping off food for a family that is going through a health situation. The possibilities are endless.  Remember last week when Jesus told us that we are to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth.
—Fr. Mike Comer

Feb. 8, 2026

In the 8th chapter of the Gospel of St. John, Jesus declares, “I am the light of the world.” But in this week’s Gospel, from the Sermon on the Mount, we hear Him proclaim to the motley crew of disciples, “You are the light of the world.” This is immediately after He has told His listeners, “You are the salt of the earth.” These are very strange words to say to such a gathering.
   
When we think of Church, we usually envision a group of well-groomed people in a beautiful building. That is not what we would have seen on that mountainside. Jesus’ followers tended to be made up of former tax collectors, prostitutes, those who have been healed of leprosy, blindness, deafness, lameness, and other infirmities. They would have been what the Pharisees and Scribes and Roman officials would have considered the dregs of society. They would have been those who do not count in the eyes of those who truly matter, as the world sees things.

And yet Jesus says that they do matter to God, and they do matter to the world, even though the world does not know it. These are the poor in spirit whom we heard about last week, who will inherit the Kingdom of God. Pope John Paul II taught that God has made a preferential option for the poor. Psalm 34 tells us that “God hears the cry of the poor.” And now He tells us that the poor are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “God must love the poor. He made so many of them.”

In the poor we see the face of Jesus Christ Himself. We are offered the opportunity to serve Him in them. What a blessing, what an honor that we are given. As we look into the eyes of the poor, however they present themselves, we encounter Jesus Himself. The poor remind us that we are all poor, no matter our material possessions, if we do not know Christ. The greatest poverty that we can know is to be without God in our lives.
—Fr. Mike Comer

Feb. 1, 2026

We begin reading the Sermon on the Mount this Sunday. It will go on for several weeks but will be interrupted by the Lenten and Easter Seasons. We resume those readings after Pentecost.
   
The Sermon of the Mount is chapters 5, 6 and 7 of the Gospel of Matthew and contain some of the most important spiritual teaching of Jesus in the New Testament. Our Gospel reading today introduces the sermon as we see Jesus go up onto the mountain and sit down. This reminds us of Moses, the great lawgiver, who went up onto Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments and brought them down to the Hebrews waiting at the base of the mountain.
   
Jesus goes up the mountain and sits down. In that time, a teacher would sit, and the students would stand. Sitting was a sign of his authority. We still see this in our own time, as the head of a committee is referred to as the chairperson. In universities, the head of a particular school of education is the “chair.” So, Jesus begins to teach.

His first teachings in the sermon are the beatitudes (blessings). He begins, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God.” The further beatitudes identify groups of people who are materially or spiritually poor, and how they are blessed. The rest of the sermon flows from this idea of the poor in spirit.
   
Get out your bible and go to Matthew 6. Read the sermon. Read it again. And then read it section by section.
   
Then go back and read it over and over again for the rest of your life!
—Fr. Mike Comer

Jan. 25, 2026

Last week, our Gospel was the scene in which John is speaking with two of his disciples and said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” The two were John and Andrew, the brother of Peter. He will bring his brother Simon (Peter) to meet Jesus. They lived in the fishing village of Capernaum, where Jesus moved when He left Nazareth. One day as Jesus walked along the shore, He called out to them, “Come and follow me.” They left their nets and followed Him.
   
When He called them, they already knew Him from the day after His baptism. Living in the small village, they had met Him many times and listened to Him teach and preach in the synagogue and in the streets. So, when He called them, He had already prepared them for this call.

Each of them, and each of us, will receive several calls to follow Jesus. It is not a one-off matter when He calls and we follow. Certainly, at our baptism we receive a call. If we grow up Catholic and are part of a Catholic school or Parish School of Religion, we will hear that call reinforced many times. At Mass, especially at the Easter Sunday Masses, we hear that call again, and we will renew our commitment to Christ.
   
There are other calls, as well. Maybe we will attend a Cursillo or Christian Awakening Retreat, Life in the Spirit Seminar, or Christ Renews His Parish, or some other adult faith renewal program, or a friend will lead us into a deeper relationship with Christ. Whatever it is, Christ calls us deeper and deeper into His heart.
   
As the first disciples said “Yes” to Christ, so may we.
—Fr. Mike Comer

Jan. 18, 2026

On Jan. 19, the United States honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the civil rights movement that he was so instrumental in guiding and leading up until his death on April 4, 1968.
   
We live in an age of anger and hostility, with issues of race and war and radically different visions for the future of America, much as we were in the late 1960s. We need Martin’s teachings on nonviolence as much as we did in his lifetime. Certainly, there will be differences on many different issues, and many people are very passionate on some of those issues.

Martin Luther King, Jr. learned from the non-violence of Mahatma Ghandi, and his teaching on Satyagraha, or what was called Truth Force. He spoke of “militant non-violence” in which we stand up and fight for the truth and justice with the power of love. We Americans, in our own day, on whichever side we may be on, need to learn this.
—Fr. Mike Comer

Jan. 11, 2026

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord serves as a pivotal feast. It is the official end of the Christmas season, and it is the beginning of Ordinary Time.
   
In all four Gospels, our first encounter with the adult Jesus is at His baptism. From the finding of the child Jesus, at 12 years old, until His baptism, we have no biblical information. We presume that the Holy Family continued to live in Nazareth, that at some point, Joseph passed away, that Jesus continued His father’s carpentry business, at least for a while. There is speculation that at some point he left home, perhaps spending time in the Dead Sea area with the Qumran community, and perhaps travelling around Judea, getting to know the cities and the concerns of the people.
   
Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, began his active ministry, preaching and baptizing in the Jordan River. This was the point where the Hebrew people actually entered into the Promised Land. Through John’s baptism, the people were becoming New Israelites, starting over with God. Jesus came to John to be baptized. This was a problem, because John’s was a baptism involving repentance and the forgiveness of sins. Whose sins is Jesus repenting of?

John, recognizing the problem, says, “I should be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” Jesus tells him to allow it for now to fulfill all righteousness. What John does not understand is that Jesus has come into this world to take our sins upon Himself. We see this most clearly in the crucifixion, but even now, as He begins His ministry, He is showing that He has come into the world to take the sins of mankind onto Himself.
   
Baptism is not only the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, it is also the beginning of our journey of discipleship as we learn to follow Christ. In baptism we become children of God, disciples of Christ, and temples of the Holy Spirit.
—Fr. Mike Comer

Jan. 4, 2026

I hope that all of you had a great Christmas and New Year’s. As much as we look forward to this season, it is also a stressful and difficult season for many of us. As much as we enjoy it, most of us are glad when the Christmas season is behind us. Well, we have one more week to go. Today we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, and next Sunday we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord.
   
If you or I have an epiphany, it refers to a sudden, profound realization of significant meaning. It is a mental breakthrough that transforms our vision of reality.

For the Magi, this was a significant breakthrough in terms of faith. The Star of Bethlehem appeared in the sky, revealing the birth of a new King. The Magi (magicians, astrologers) left their homes in Persia (modern day Iran) to follow the star to wherever it led them. They followed the light, which we all want to do.
   
When they came to Jerusalem, they went to King Herod, who consulted his advisors as to the birthplace of the Messiah. He then sent the Magi to Bethlehem, the birthplace of King David, about seven miles outside of Jerusalem. When they arrived, they came to the house where the Holy Family was staying and entered and worshipped the child.

The Magi were followers of Zoroastrianism but now acknowledged Christ as their King and Lord. Thus, after the shepherds, these gentile pagans were the earliest believers in Jesus as the Messiah.
   
Warned by an angel of the treachery of King Herod, they returned home by a different route than the one they had taken before.
   
When did you come to believe that Christ was your Lord and Messiah? Most of us grew up learning about Him and believing those who taught us. Later, we probably began questioning what we had learned and perhaps even rejecting it. But if you are here today, you have made some personal decision to believe and to follow Christ. How did that happen for you?
—Fr. Mike Comer

Dec. 28, 2025

The Sunday between Christmas and the Solemnity of Mary (Jan. 1) is always celebrated as the Feast of the Holy Family. The Gospel for the feast, for Year A of our three-year cycle of readings, is the story of the flight into Egypt. This is a most dramatic scene, and a most tragic scene, which reminds us once again that this child has been born to be a warrior and to die for all of us.
   
Jesus has come into the world as a helpless, defenseless child, just like all of us. He has emptied Himself of power and glory, as He is born in a stable in the tiny village of Bethlehem. King Herod had sent the Magi to locate the child, ostensibly to come and worship Him, but in reality, he wished to execute the child. When the Magi returned home by a different route, Herod realized that he had been tricked. Enraged, he ordered the killing of all the boys under the age of 2, who lived in the area. This recalls Pharoah’s direction that all the boys should be killed, leading to Moses being taken in by Pharoah’s daughter. Jesus will be the new Moses.

The angel appeared to Joseph and told him to take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, until Herod was dead. He did so, and Jesus lived in Egypt for a few years. We do not know how many years for sure. When they returned, Herod’s son was ruling, so they went up to Nazareth, which was outside the reign of the Herodian family.
   
On this day we pray for all families, especially those who are refugees fleeing persecution, poverty, and warfare. May they find peace.
—Fr. Mike Comer

Dec. 21, 2025

On Thursday, we celebrate the Nativity of the Lord. This is the second most important feast of the Church’s year, the first being Easter. The stories that are found in the Infancy Narratives of Matthew and Luke tell us of the great miraculous events through which the Son of God became the Son of Mary and united Himself to all of us, so that He could save us.
   
Those stories are told in the first two chapters of both Matthew and Luke. I encourage you to take a few minutes to read those chapters leading up to Christmas. It will not take much time at all.

The Fall of Adam and Eve separated Heaven and Earth. Now they are reunited as the God Man is born into our midst. The name “Jesus,” given to the child by the Angel Gabiel and the angel who appeared to Joseph in his dream, means “Yahweh Saves,” announcing who He will be and what He will accomplish. He will heal the broken relationship between God and man, and between Heaven and Earth.
   
That healing and our salvation will be ultimately won for us through Christ’s death and Resurrection, but it begins in the stable in Bethlehem. This child was born to be a warrior who would do battle with the forces of evil, to suffer and die, and most especially to rise from the dead, defeating sin and death. We don’t want to overly sentimentalize Jesus’ birth. The birth of Jesus is God’s sneak attack on Satan.
—Fr. Mike Comer

Dec. 14, 2025

This Third Sunday of Advent is called "Gaudete Sunday," which translates as "Rejoice Sunday." We rejoice because Advent is coming to its close, and Christmas, the celebration is near. This sense of rejoicing was more intense when Advent was 40 days in length and included fasting from meat for the full time, and other penitential practices were common. Advent is far less painful now, so it does not have the impact that it once did.
   
But spiritually, it is important for us to hear the message of Rejoice Sunday. We rejoice because God has won salvation for us through the birth, life, Passion and Resurrection of His Son, Jesus. We rejoice because we know that He will return again in power and glory and will bring forth the Kingdom in its fullness. We rejoice because God is with us throughout our lives and we know ourselves as sons and daughters of God.

The one sign we might possess that shows that we are Christian is joy. Even in times of struggle, we can rejoice. In his Epistle to the Romans, St. Paul lists many obstacles and problems and sufferings that may come our way. He then says, “In all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

I think the greatest tool for evangelizing others is our joy. If you are concerned about your kids, or other family, or friends, or whomever, who do not have a relationship with God or with the Church, it will be your joy that will most attract them to return to a life of faith. If the world sees a joy in Christians, many will say to themselves, “I want what they have.”
   
Rejoice in the Lord always! Again, I say, rejoice!
—Fr. Mike Comer

Dec. 7, 2025

On this Second Sunday of Advent, the Church focuses its attention on John the Baptist, who is one of the great symbols of Advent. This season of preparing for the comings of Christ, it is he who proclaims the Advent message: “Prepare the way of the Lord.  May straight His paths.”
   
John’s message comes before Jesus shows up on the stage of salvation history. He is speaking at a time when there was a great deal of corruption in the court of King Herod, and, sadly, in those who were the leaders of religion, especially those who were the leaders in the Temple. Because of this corruption among the leaders, the faith of the people had become somewhat lukewarm. John came to prophecy against the leaders and to stir up the faith of the people.

John prophesied, “I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”  In the midst of John’s ministry, Jesus Himself will arrive and undergo the baptism of John, a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. We ask, “If Jesus is sinless, whose sins is He confessing and repenting of?” He is confessing and repenting of our sins, as He will do again on the Cross.
   
Advent is a penitential season, in which we examine our consciences to recognize what in us is blocking our way to God, repent of our sins, and confess those sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This is perhaps the most important way in which we prepare the way of the Lord.
—Fr. Mike Comer

Nov. 30, 2025

A very controversial word that is used in our public discourse these days is “woke.” Those who think of themselves as woke believe the term indicates that they are politically awake in dealing with issues of race, of differences in culture, in awareness of injustice. Those who oppose the term see it as being politically liberal, or even radical, in those matters, and of being anti-police, anti-white, anti-male, and anti-heterosexual. Both use the term in very vague but inflammatory ways.
   
As we begin the season of Advent, we will hear John the Baptist and Jesus calling for the people of that time to “wake up”! They accuse the Jewish people of that time of being spiritually asleep. Their religious practice had fallen into much lukewarmness, and many had ceased to actively prepare for and expect the coming of the Messiah.
   
This First Sunday of Advent puts us before the time of the coming of Christ, so that we can share with the Jewish people the anticipation of the coming of a Savior who would liberate them from their enemies and restore the full nation of Israel. Their experience of waiting and preparing informs our own waiting and preparing for the Second Coming of Christ.
   
Are we awake and ready to meet Christ when He comes? There are actually three comings of Christ. The first was when He came to us 2,000 years ago in Israel. The third is the Second Coming of Jesus at the end of time. Between these two is a third, when we die, and He comes to take us home to the Father.

The question for us is, are we ready for His coming at the end of time to meet and welcome Him. If that does not happen during our lifetime, are we ready to meet and welcome Him at our death? And what do we need to do to be ready?

Advent is a time of deep prayerful reflection on these matters. It is a penitential season, when we are called to look at ourselves carefully and to go to Confession. All of us sin and need some degree of reconciliation with God. Jesus created the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or Confession, on that first Easter Sunday night, when He breathed on the Apostles and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit! Whose sins you shall forgive are forgiven them.”  This authority to forgive sins has been handed down through the ministry of bishops and priests. There is no backup plan in the Scriptures for those who don’t like this option.
   
Like Lent, Advent is also a time to work on growing in our compassion and love. How can we show deeper love of neighbor, whoever that neighbor might be? Can we visit or call someone who is homebound or is in nursing care? Is there a neighbor or friend or family member who is ill and could use a good meal dropped off? There are limitless opportunities to serve.
   
Have we forgiven those who have injured us in any way? Are we willing to let go of resentments and anger? And have we asked for forgiveness of those whom we have wounded in some way?
   
Have a great Advent! May you come to the Christmas season with your heart awake and open and ready to meet Christ.
—Fr. Mike Comer

Nov. 23, 2025

The Solemnity of Christ the King is the final Sunday of the Church year, and it celebrates the final victory of Christ over His enemies (sin and death) and the ultimate victory of the Kingdom of God. All evil will be defeated, and all people will live according to the will of God.
   
Even though, through His Resurrection, Jesus has already won the war, and we know that the forces of evil will not win in the end, they are still, obviously, present and capable of bringing about a great deal of chaos and suffering.

At present, the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Darkness both still exist. We must each decide which Kingdom we will be faithful to.
—Fr. Mike Comer

Nov. 16, 2025

Many of us, at least the adults, remember Sept. 11, 2001. We watched the unfolding of a great tragedy in our country, and as is often stated, everything changed. We saw the Twin Towers collapse, killing thousands, including many fire fighters and police officers. I imagine people standing beneath the towers on Sept. 10, looking up and admiring their height and power. And I imagine someone standing there, saying, “By this time tomorrow, both towers will be nothing more than rubble." And those who hear him think he is insane—this is an impossibility to them.
   
Jesus and the Apostles were in Jerusalem, looking up at the Temple, which was the most remarkable structure they had ever seen. They saw the giant stones and all that was going on. The crowd was mesmerized by the Temple. And Jesus said, “All these things you see here, a day will come when there will not be one stone on top of another.” His listeners would have been shocked by these words and would not have believed such a thing could happen. But just as the Twin Towers were destroyed, so was the Temple.

We may remember George Harrison’s solo album, All Things Must Pass. Drawing from Eastern religious instruction, he is telling us the same thing as Jesus. Look around Mother of God Church. It is one of the most beautiful churches in America. Over 150 years old, it is still incredibly strong, for it was well built and well cared for (thank you, Vic). And yet, a day will come when it will not be standing. Destroyed by earthquake, or storm, or age, or any other cause that we cannot even imagine, it will be gone. The United States at some point will be gone, or radically diminished. And we will be gone.
   
All things must pass.
—Fr. Mike Comer

Nov. 9, 2025

As we have repeatedly noted, there are four major basilicas in Rome, and each has a particular significance.  These are St. Mary Major, St. Peter, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and the Basilica of St. John Lateran, that we celebrate today.
   
The full title of this church is the Archbasilica of Most Holy Savior and Sts. John the Baptist and John the Evangelist at the Lateran, better known as St. John Lateran. The Lateran is one of the Seven Hills of Rome.  Although we usually think of St. Peter’s as the pope’s church, it is actually St. John Lateran that is the official church of the pope and is known as the Mother Church of the World. It is the Cathedral of the City of Rome and is officially the church of the pope as the pope’s first title is Bishop of Rome. As such, it is the most important church in all the world.

The Emperor Constantine gave the site to Pope Sylvester I, who oversaw the building of the basilica in 324. It has gone through extensive remodeling and rebuilding after two fires over the centuries, but there are extensive parts of the original structure that are still part of the present structure.
   
As the Mother Church of the World, our celebrations are of the unity of the Church, and of the pope. Let us pray for that unity and for Pope Leo XIV.
—Fr. Mike Comer

Nov. 2, 2025

The Church’s Liturgical Year runs from the First Sunday of Advent to the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (also Christ the King). Because of this, the month of November is the final month of the Church year. During this month, she reflects on what are known as the Four Last Things—Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell.
   
The Scriptures give us some information about these realities, so our reading points us toward them. Death is the ultimate final reality for each of us. Even for those who have spent their lives preparing for death, there can be great fear and anxiety about facing it. Faith does not mean there is no fear, but that we face our fears with courage and trust in God.
   
At death, there is a separation from the body and the soul.  Human beings are a body/soul continuum. A body without a soul is a corpse. A soul without a body is a ghost. We are radically incomplete at that point and will be until the Resurrection of the Body. At the moment of death, we face what is known as the Particular Judgment. At that time, the decision is made whether the person is going to Hell or Heaven. If they are going to Hell, they go there directly. If they are going to Heaven, the judgment will address whether they need further purification before entering into Heaven or if they are ready to enter into the presence of God right away.

The Final Purification is what has been traditionally called Purgatory. It is a place for those who are saved and are going to Heaven but require further purification. It is not a second chance for salvation. Those in Purgatory are going to Heaven. In fact, they are nearer to Heaven than we are, so they experience the joys of salvation more than we do. Their sins are forgiven, but the attachments to sin must be removed.

Let’s use the language of addiction here. If an alcoholic quits drinking, there is still a powerful desire to drink and a temptation to resume drinking. True sobriety requires further growth so that this longing to return to drink is taken away. The same thing happens in terms of sin. If I have rejected sin, confessed my sin, and received absolution, I still may need grace to break free of my sins. Purgatory is the place of healing where that takes place.
—Fr. Mike Comer

Oct. 26, 2025

The first reading for this Sunday begins, “The Lord is a God of justice, who knows no favorites. Though not unduly partial toward the weak, yet he hears the cry of the oppressed.” In our responsorial psalm (Psalm 34) we hear, “The Lord hears the cry of the poor.” And in our Gospel, Jesus says of the tax collector who confessed his sins and asked for mercy, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

When God looks at someone, he recognizes not only those who are materially poor, but also those who are spiritually poor. Remember the first of the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the Kingdom of God is theirs.”

The Lord is a God of justice. For many today, justice is a bad word. Their argument, whether they recognize it or not, is with God. If God is a God of justice, then you and I must be people of justice ourselves. As God hears the cry of the poor, so must we. We may be very limited in how we can respond to the cry of the poor, but we must listen and hear their cry, and we must CARE. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus makes it clear that the question is not, “Who is my neighbor?” but “To whom am I neighbor?”
   
As always, whenever we try to limit Christ’s call for us to love and care, He is having none of that. There are no limits. There are no boundaries.
—Fr. Mike Comer 

Oct. 12, 2025

The Gospel for today is that of the 10 lepers who asked to be healed by Jesus. He sent them to the priests, who would rule on whether they could return to the community or not. Along their way, they were all healed. One of them, a Samaritan, returned to thank Jesus. Jesus was amazed that only the one returned.
   
What was different from the Samaritan leper and the other nine? They all saw their healing and were amazed and felt that they were lucky. The Samaritan saw his healing and knew that he was blessed, so he returned to Christ.
   
Are you and I lucky or blessed? Do we give thanks to God for the many blessings in our lives? How fervently we may pray for some blessing—of health, or any other blessing—but only give a quick expression of gratitude, if that, for the blessings we have received.

What do we possess that is not a gift from God? Even if we believe we have earned what we have, it was God who gave us the talents and opportunities to earn those things. We should give thanks every day. We are loved, and God is watching out for each of us. Without His love we would not exist, and we could not do anything to bring His blessings into our lives.
   
The very word “gratitude” tells us that it is not just an act of politeness but an attitude that should fill our hearts at all times. Grateful people are happy people. They see the universe as a positive, loving place. It is psychologically impossible to be truly grateful and miserable at the same time.
—Fr. Mike Comer