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Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs/Make a Difference Day
St. Isaac and St. John were among eight missionaries who worked among the Huron and Iroquois Indians in the New World in the seventeenth century. They were devoted to their work and were accomplishing many conversions. The conversions, though, were not welcomed by the tribes, and eventually St. Isaac was captured and imprisoned by the…
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The Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today’s readings I’m speaking at all the Masses this weekend, and I’m sure you’re thinking: here comes the money talk. Well, yes, that’s true, but I’m really speaking to you all out of a sense of gratitude: more about that in a minute. But I’m not even just talking to you about money today, because…
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Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s readings Balance is one of the most important things that we can achieve in life, and yet it is a goal that often seems so fleeting. That is particularly true of the spiritual life. So many people find it difficult to have balance in their spiritual lives, even the saints. The saints just spend…
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The Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today’s readings If you’ve been to any number of Church weddings, you have probably heard today’s first reading, and part of the Gospel proclaimed. Obviously we usually leave out the part about divorce, but these readings are quite popular for weddings. The reason, of course, is that the story is about how man and woman…
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Saint Francis of Assisi, Religious
Today, we celebrate the memorial of one of the most beloved saints of all time, Saint Francis of Assisi. Saint Francis had a conversion that came when he was very young. He had contracted a serious illness, and spent a good deal of time in intense and difficult prayer. In that time of prayer, our…
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Saint Thérèse of Liseaux, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
Today, we celebrate the memorial of Saint Thérèse of Liseaux, the Little Flower, who was one who sought to proclaim the Lord in every simple act of her life. Saint Thérèse had a child-like faith: child-like, that is, in her trusting obedience to God’s will, even in the smallest of matters. She truly believed that…
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Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Saint Jerome is something of an enigma. Though he was a scripture scholar, he wasn’t the epitome of the quiet, scholarly saint that one might imagine him to be. Perhaps unfortunately, he was known for his quick temper and sometimes mean-spirited pen. If they had email or social media in those days, he’d probably be…
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The Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today’s readings Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets! Would that the LORD might bestow his spirit on them all! When we think about prophets and prophecy, I think our minds always take us to ancient days. All the prophets we tend to think about lived many centuries ago: Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah,…
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Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest
Mass for the school children. Today is the memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, who is one of my favorite saints. He knew what it meant to be a priest, and he lived it every day. But he didn’t start out wanting to be like that; he had a conversation experience along the way. And…
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Thursday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s readings Herod had the right idea – well, sort of. He was asking the right question, which is a good start, but he was asking it for all the wrong reasons. Clearly though, it is the right question. And that question is, “Who is Jesus?” It’s a question that has echoed down through the…
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