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The Baptism of the Lord
Today’s readings Today is the last day of the Christmas Season. What a wonderful gift we have as Catholics to celebrate the birth of our Lord for an extended period of time! Yesterday was the Epiphany of the Lord, a time to celebrate Christ manifested in the flesh, the greatest gift of God to his…
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The Epiphany of the Lord
Today’s readings “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?” This was the question those magi asked after their long and harrowing journey. They had observed the star at its rising and were proceeding to pay tribute to the newborn king. They brought with them gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. We know the story…
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Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen
Today’s readings St. Basil the Great was born in Caesarea in Cappadocia in the year 330. He was known for his learning and virtue, and his fight against the Arian heresy. He also wrote many wonderful works, the most revered of which is his monastic rule. He is known as the father of Eastern monasticism. …
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Mary, the Mother of God
Today’s readings Today, on the Octave day of Christmas, we have an opportunity on this Christmas Day to pause and celebrate Mary, the mother of God. This solemnity is a special one for us as Catholics because people for a long time argued over whether Mary, a human being, could possibly be the mother of…
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The Nativity of the Lord: Mass During the Night and Mass of Christmas Day
Readings: Mass During the Night | Mass of Christmas Day A few years ago, I saw a musical called “Children of Eden.” It was composed by Steven Schwartz, who is probably more famous for composing “Godspell” and “Wicked.” The premise of the musical is interesting: it’s the story taken from the first nineteen chapters of…
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The Nativity of the Lord: Vigil Mass (Joseph’s Story)
Today’s readings Once, a very long time ago, there was a man named Joseph. He was a well-respected and hard-working man, from the family of the great king David. But since Israel hadn’t been a great nation in a long time, he wasn’t respected for being a great king himself. Instead, people respected him for…
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Friday of the Fourth Week of Advent: O Emmanuel
Today’s readings Today’s Liturgy has us on the edge of our seats: “Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand.” So says the psalmist today and all indications are that that psalmist is absolutely right! Even the last-minute shoppers are starting to panic, there’s only one door left on the Advent…
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Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent: O Root of Jesse
Today’s readings In these late days of Advent, we pray the “O Antiphons.” These antiphons are the various titles of Jesus as found in Scripture. Today’s antiphon is “O Root of Jesse” and it is found as the antiphon for the Canticle of Mary in Vespers: “O Flower of Jesse’s stem, you have been raised…
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The Fourth Sunday of Advent [B]: O Sacred Lord
Today’s readings Hanging in the bedroom hallway of my Mom’s house is a framed graphic that says “With God, all things are possible.” That reminder has helped me to get through a number of times of uncertainty in my life. I thought about it as I was reading today’s Gospel, in which the angel, in…
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Advent Penance Service
Today’s readings: Isaiah 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7 and Matthew 1:18-24 Isaiah’s lament in our first reading this evening sounds like a lament for every time and place, quite honestly. Wouldn’t we all prefer to hope that God would come and meet us doing right, being mindful of him in all our ways, mindful of the mighty…
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