Reconciliation and Homecoming

This Lent, I am reading “Becoming Instruments of God’s Peace,” daily reflections on St. Francis’ peace prayer. Last week focused on the line, “Where there is injury,...

God Is the Gardener

How are you doing with Lent? Are you making any headway with spiritual growth? As we move into the heart of Lent, we may feel discouraged because...

We All Need Reassurance Sometimes

My nephew Andy has autism. When he was young, he would frequently get fixated on a topic and ask the same questions over and over. For example,...

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

When a situation is unjust, I cannot keep my mouth shut. I have always been this way and it has gotten me in trouble on more occasions...

The Baptism of Our Lord

Two years into the illnesses that led to my mother’s death, she was hospitalized for ten days. Her legs had stopped functioning; she had lost the ability...

Restoring Our Sight

Seeing ordinarily refers to eyesight, in a physiological sense. But in communication, in a general sense, “seeing” can be used in many metaphoric ways. We refer to...

We Are Servants

This Sunday’s Gospel is among my favorite passages in the New Testament. It is the story of some of the Apostles’ vying for the top spot in...

Removing the Obstacles

Hard message in today’s Gospel. Who among us is ready and willing to take up the challenge? There are countless stories about Saints who have heeded the...

Jesus and the Children

Today’s Gospel carries two very important messages: one about marriage, the other about bringing children to the Lord. Now, there is much to say about either subject....

Taking Sin Seriously

Calvin Coolidge was known as a man of few words. When he returned home from Sunday services one morning, his wife asked him what the preacher had...