The Nativity of the Lord. Christmas Readings of Mass During the Night Is 9:1-6; Titus 2:11-14; Lk 2:1-14 For Sister Emmanuela and Father Edward Food, Glorious food! That’s a song from a Broadway musical-Oliver!-as you well know. What does that have to do with Christmas, you may ask?! I’ll tell you. On the last day […]
En apuro. En apuro. La gente está apresurada en esta época del año como Dcn. Brian nos contó la semana pasada. La gente tiene prisa por llegar a los centros comerciales, y muchos están agotados por las compras y los preparativos para las fiestas. En este pasaje del Evangelio, María estaba apresurada. Parece que todos […]
Micah 5:1-4; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45 In haste. In haste. People are in haste at this time of the year as Dcn. Brian told us last week. People are in haste to get to shopping malls, and many are worn out by the holiday shopping and preparations. In this Gospel passage Mary was in haste. […]
Baruch 5:1-9; Phil 1:4-6, 8-11; Luke 3: 1-6 Advent leads us to “discern what is of value,” St. Paul says, so that we “may advance secure in the glory of God,” St. Paul says in Philippians and to us today. Who doesn’t want to be secure and gain what is valuable? We all know this, […]
Tonight we celebrate Mary conceived without sin in the womb of St. Anne. She was, in deed the fruit of the sexual union of St. Joachim and St. Anne, yet she was conceived i.e. with no sin, not subject to the lower desires of nature [concupiscence] that weigh us down. There were no obstacles to God’s […]
Jer 23:1-6; Eph 2:13-18; Mk 6:30-34 We see in sacred scripture that Jesus often went off to deserted places to pray to hear his father speaking to him. He listens within. When he returns from those places, he is ready to begin a new phase of his public life, with an expanded sense of his […]
Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24; 2 Cor 8:7,9,13-15; Mk 5:21-43 This week I was remembering visiting a church in another diocese when I was on vacation. I was turning into the church driveway, I couldn’t help but notice a large electronic sign board, flashing a message in multi colors. It said: “Pray 4 Nick.” I also noticed […]
Birth of John the Baptist We are in the days of the summer solstice. Today we celebrate the Birth of Saint John the Baptist. The Church Christianized the summer solstice as it did the winter solstice, making it Christmas. Six months from today is Christmas. The Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist is […]
Solemnity of Corpus Christi Ex 24:3-8; Heb 9:11-15; Mk 14:12-16, 22-26 Blood, blood, blood. These are bloody readings. The image of blood runs all through them, from Exodus in the Old Testament to Hebrews and Mark in the New Testament, from animal sacrifice to the blood sacrifice of Christ, for the forgiveness of sins. It […]
Is 52:13-53: 12; Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 13:1-19: 42 We faithful are confronted with the death of the Lord today. Do we believe that there is life beyond death, beyond the grave? Who will save us from ourselves? This is the dramatic question presented to us by this Friday we call Good. Why do we […]