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The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today’s readings Blessed Pope Pius IX instituted the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on December 8, 1854, when he proclaimed as truth the dogma that our Lady was conceived free from the stain of original sin. This had been a traditional belief since about the eighth century, and had been…
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Saint Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church
Today’s readings While he was still a catechumen, St. Ambrose was chosen as bishop of Milan and was consecrated on December 7, 374. Ambrose was a classically educated man, a revered Scripture Scholar and a solid preacher. It is his preaching that in some ways influenced St. Augustine to convert to Catholicism, and it was…
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Saint Nicholas
The general rule of thumb is that the saints are always supposed to point us to God. The stories of the saints aren’t always real factual, and we cannot rely on them for actual historical records. That’s not their purpose. The stories of the saints are designed to illuminate the saints’ lives in a colorful…
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Saint Francis Xavier, Priest (Diocesan Patron)
Today’s readings: 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23; Mark 16:15-20 We celebrate the memorial of St. Francis Xavier as a feast today, because he is the patron saint of the Diocese of Joliet. Francis Xavier was a sixteenth century man who had a promising career in academics. He was encouraged in the faith by his good friend, St.…
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The First Sunday of Advent
Today’s readings We’ve gathered here today on the precipice of something new. Do you feel it? Do you come here with a sense of hope and expectation? Are you on the edge of your seat? Well, if not, I hope you will be by the end of Advent. That’s what it’s all about. The readings…
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Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week of Ordinary Time
Today’s readings Every now and then, in the Liturgy of the Word, we hear words that have directly influenced our prayers in the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Today is such an occasion. Just before we receive Holy Communion, I will elevate the host and the chalice and say: “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him…
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Monday of the Thirty-fourth Week of Ordinary Time
Today’s readings “Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.” The Psalmist, as he often does, helps us to express what’s in our hearts in these closing days of the Church year. All of our spiritual journeying through the year has been, or at least it should have been, with the goal…
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Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service
Readings: 1 Kings 8:55-61; Ephesians 1:3-14; Luke 17:11-19 Earlier this week, my sister emailed me pictures of a storybook that my niece, Molly, wrote for a second grade school project. It was a story about an unnamed boy and girl – who were certainly the author and her older brother Danny! The boy and the…
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Friday of the Twenty-second Week of Ordinary Time
Today’s readings We sure have some scary readings today, don’t we? They’re talking about floods, and fire and brimstone raining from the sky, and someone taken and another left behind. That’s pretty scary stuff when you stop to think about it. But I want you to remember this: we don’t ever have to be afraid,…
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