Dear sisters and brothers, The challenge for all of us is to hear the Gospel as though it were new every day. We get so used to hearing the stories about Jesus and the Gospel narratives that we can block them out from having any new meaning in our lives. It is almost as if [...]
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, The first reading comes from the so-called Third Isaiah and is essentially an oracle of salvation. It consists of a prophetic promise of deliverance developed through the use of marriage imagery. In the earlier part of the book, Isaiah spoke about the nearly unredeemable relationship between the people [...]
Dear sisters and brothers, This Sunday feast of the Baptism of the Lord signals the end of the Christmas season and the beginning of "Ordinary Time." The church's liturgical calendar now begins its long reflection on the mission of Jesus that will be viewed this year through the prism of Luke's Gospel. In each of [...]
Dear sisters and brothers, On a cold morning three palm fruit farmers were warming themselves by the fireside. Soon two of them were engaged in a heated debate comparing their religions to decide which one was the true religion. Okoro, the oldest among them, sat quietly listening to the debate. Suddenly the two turned [...]
Dear sisters and brothers, The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph is a model for all families. Being a Holy Family does not mean that everything was smooth for them. It was a family with many ups and downs. Mary conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary’s pregnancy was a troubling [...]
My sisters and brothers in Christ, Today’s readings afford us the opportunity to focus on our individual wills in relation to the Advent of Our Lord and Savior. John Cassian, an early Church father, wrote in his First Conference that the purpose of a monk’s profession (indeed, all Christians’ professions) is to seek the [...]
My sisters and brothers in Christ, The joy of Advent! And, a hidden fee. The joy that comes into our hearts as we think of God becoming a baby in order to save us from ourselves and from all that is evil. The latter part of that wonderful gift, the saving us from all [...]
Dear brothers and sisters, This Sunday is always John the Baptist proclaiming the Messiah. It is wonderful and we can sense the joy of the Baptist. God is sending a Redeemer. We know that it does not turn out to be the kind of Redeemer for which many were hoping. This Redeemer is [...]
My sisters and brothers in Christ, Today’s readings exhort us to be vigilant for Advent. This is not a time for passivity, for God is at work, fulfilling his promises and crafting signs and wonders attesting to His glory. “The Lake Isle of Innisfree,” William Butler Yeats’ poem begins, “I will arise and go now, and [...]
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, On this final Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. We acknowledge Jesus as King of the Universe, of the earth and of our lives. This does not mean Jesus imposes himself or that we impose on others. Imposition takes away something essential - freedom. [...]
