The Second Sunday of Advent
Today’s readings When I was little, time seemed to go by so slowly. But all of that has changed as I have gotten older. This year, particularly, seems like a blur. This is the sense that we get in today’s … Continued
The First Sunday of Advent
Today’s readings Happy New Year! Today is, as you probably know, the new year of the Church, that new year we always begin on the First Sunday of Advent. As we light the advent candles, we imbue the year ahead … Continued
The Thirty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time
Today’s readings “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.” I always like to joke that that’s how I ended up being the … Continued
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious
Today’s readings Today we celebrate the feast of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. Elizabeth was the daughter of the king of Hungary, and she married Louis IV of Thuringia when she was fourteen years old. They were happily married and had … Continued
The Thirty-second Sunday of Ordinary Time
Today’s readings The readings in these last days of the church year can be confusing, and sometimes even scary. But they have an important job to do in terms of our spiritual lives. They very often challenge our notions of … Continued
All Souls Remembrance Mass
I’ve given the homily at remembrance Masses like this all through my priesthood, even when I was a newly-ordained priest. The pastor I worked with them was terrible about grieving and he really didn’t like to talk about it. During … Continued
The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
One of the deep mysteries of the human experience lies in the realities of life and death. Everyone has, or will, experience the death of loved ones, sometimes after a long life, sometimes far too soon, always with feelings of … Continued
The Solemnity of All Saints
Today’s readings One of my relatives told me that the nun who once taught him had a rather curious line to compliment a student when they had done a good deed: “May you die a martyr’s death!” Well, knowing how … Continued
The Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Today’s readings Mike was one of my favorite people in the world. He owned the service station where my family had, and still has, our cars repaired and maintained ever since we first moved out to the suburbs, almost forty … Continued
Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week of Ordinary Time
Today’s readings Today’s Responsorial Psalm, Psalm 1; has always been one of my very favorite psalms. One interpretation of this Psalm is to look at it as a blueprint for blessedness. In Biblical terms, of course, blessedness equals happiness. So the person … Continued
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