In Sunday’s second reading, St. Paul speaks of Jesus breaking down the dividing wall of enmity in order to create in himself one new person in place of the two, thus establishing peace. The commentaries on this reading explain that...
There is a popular story that I’ve seen on the internet, shared by email and posted on blogs and social media. It’s a story that speaks about practicing what one preaches. I am not sure whether it is factual or...
Reflection for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time I’d like to focus on one point from this gospel reading, specifically the incident involving the woman who for twelve years was afflicted with hemorrhages: “If I but touch his clothes, I...
Even though I have used Rembrandt van Rijn’s Storm on the Sea of Galilee for many years as a visio divina prayer prompt at high school retreats, I only recently learned the bizarre recent history of the Dutch master’s first great...
Saturday was an incredibly joyful day here in the Archdiocese of Washington. Sixteen – sixteen! – men were ordained to the priesthood at the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The beauty of the early summer day outside...
A reflection on the readings for June 9, 2024 On September 19, 1985, at around 7 a.m., Mexico City and its surrounding area suffered one of the largest earthquakes in its history, registering 8.1 on the Richter scale. The consequences...
A reflection for the feast of Corpus Christi At the core of our Catholic faith is the belief in the real presence of Christ – body, soul, and divinity – in the Eucharistic Bread and Wine. Take this belief out...
A reflection on the readings for May 26, 2024, Trinity Sunday. “And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons; nor dividing the essence, for there is one...
A reflection on the readings for Pentecost Sunday It was around this time back in 2013 that I was in the home stretch on the years-long path to my ordination as a deacon. The priests and deacons I spoke with...
A reflection on the readings for May 12, 2024 — The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord Today, we are celebrating the feast of the Ascension. With today’s feast we are nearing the conclusion of the Easter season in...
A reflection on the readings for May 5, 2024 — The Sixth Sunday of Easter. (When audio is available, you can find it here.) As you heard today’s scripture reading (or read it in the missal) did you notice a...
A reflection on the readings for April 28, 2024 — The Fifth Sunday of Easter In 21st-century American Christianity, there appears to be a strong desire to separate belief in Christ from membership in the Church. This is backed up...
Popular Posts