If your eye causes you to stumble
“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off, and if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out.” The hand, the foot, and the eye: three things...
Tagged: prayer
Led by our Shepherd
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...
Dry branches and new fruit
A reflection on the readings for March 10, 2024 — The Fourth Sunday of Lent. Today we are celebrating the fourth Sunday of Lent, also known as “Laetare Sunday,” which means “rejoice.” However, here’s a fun fact: even though the...
Can Prayer Empty Hell?
Pope Francis, in a recent interview, said that “I like to think hell is empty; I hope it is.” There will no doubt be a lot of discussion about this, but I would like to add my viewpoint on the...
St. Thérèse’s Closeness to the Lost
Pope Francis’s apostolic exhortation on St. Thérèse of Lisieux, C’est la confiance (“It is confidence”), discusses at length an aspect of Theresian spirituality that is widely known but not widely examined. Thérèse is an enormously appealing saint, with there being...
Prayers for Morocco
After a devastating earthquake struck Morocco on September 8 of this year, killing and injuring thousands of people– the deadliest earthquake in Morocco since a 5.9-magnitude earthquake in 1960–homes in villages across the High Atlas Mountains were demolished and residents...
Homework for the life of our community
Reflection on the readings for Sunday, September 10, the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time. In the last few weeks, many families have reached the end of the summer break and have returned to school. I’ve talked to many people in...
Missionary zeal from a hospital bed
After yesterday’s 40-minute visit to a Roman hospital for a “check up,” Pope Francis participated this morning in his usual Wednesday General Audience in St. Peter’s square, where he spoke about St. Therese of the Child Jesus and afterwards greeted...
Pope to DRC youth: “From your hands, tomorrow can be born”
Pope Francis spoke today to a group of young people and catechists as he continued his pilgrimage in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In his address, he asked those gathered to look at the five fingers on each of...
Ordinary Holiness
A reflection on the scripture readings for January 15, 2023, the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Last Sunday, on the Feast of Epiphany, we reflected on the star that led the magi. I once preached on the Epiphany that in...
Prayers for Pope Benedict
Please join with us as we continue to pray for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, whose health, we learned earlier today, has taken a turn for the worse. I have not seen any recent updates. The Vatican Press office confirmed this...
Why do we pray for those who have died?
November is the month of All Souls. It is a time when we Catholics remember and pray for those who have died. The Church sets aside this month especially for prayer on behalf of the souls of those in Purgatory....
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