Dear sisters and brothers in the Lord, Christ is risen! You and I are called to believe and we receive our faith through these early witnesses. Those who have encountered the risen Christ, who appeared only to his disciples. Such witnesses have a sacred obligation to preach the message of conversion and salvation to all. [...]
Commemoration of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem Theme: What Is the Name of Your Donkey? What different story would we be telling today if the unnamed owners of the donkey had refused to give it up? Maybe we would have no story of the triumphal entry, at least not in the way Jesus wanted it. [...]
Dear sisters and brothers, Mercy and Forgiveness The Scripture readings of the fifth Sunday of Lent continue to offer lessons about God's startling mercy and compassion. God does not dwell on the sins of the past but rather offers hope and salvation to those who rely on God's graciousness and forgiveness. In the first reading, [...]
Let's first set the context of today's gospel reading. Liturgically, today's readings find us in cycle C of the Lenten lectionary. The Lenten gospels of Sundays three, four, and five form a triptych. In the center panel, the gospels of cycle B tell the story of Christ's last journey to Jerusalem, to his death and [...]
Dear sisters and brothers, Jesus employs very strong words in the Gospel today. We are called to repentance. We must break free from our slavery to sins and seek to do good. Jesus is very clear with us: if we do no repent, we shall perish. The Book of Exodus recounts for us the encounter [...]
Dear sisters and brothers, What would you do if you witnessed a phenomenon in the heavens such as has been reported at Fatima or Lourdes or Medjegorie? Would you fall down on your knees? Or would you turn away in disbelief? Even skeptics are often mesmerized by what they cannot explain. We profess faith in [...]
My sisters and brothers in the Lord, Can you remember the last time you struggled to successfully complete a task at home, at work, or at school? Do you remember the relief that you felt when it was done, particularly to the satisfaction of a spouse, parent, boss, or teacher? The hours of work, perhaps [...]
Dear sisters and brothers, Just as an orchard is judged by the quality of its fruit, so a person’s talk shows what kind of person he is. (First Reading) This links with what Jesus says in the Gospel: ‘A tree is known by its fruit…the words of the mouth flow out of what fills the [...]
Dear sisters and brothers, Jesus says, ‘Be compassionate---Do not judge---Do not condemn—Treat others as you would like them to treat you.’ These words are taken from today’s Gospel. How many of us could say that we treat others in this way? (pause) The Lord himself shows us the way. Because of the great success on [...]
Dear sisters and brothers, Compared to the majority of people in the world, most of us who are reading this are relatively rich. We rarely, if ever, experience involuntary hunger or serious maltreatment by others. Hearing Jesus's "woes" for the rich, full, and respected, then, may be a little unnerving. It should be! His stark [...]
