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Pope Saint Gregory the Great, Doctor of the Church
Mass at Saint Petronille, Glen Ellyn Saint Gregory showed a great deal of promise at a young age. He had a stellar political career, becoming prefect of Rome before the age of thirty. After a short time, he resigned his office and dedicated his life to the priesthood. He joined a Benedictine monastery and became…
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Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
You’ve probably heard the saying that youth is wasted on the young. I think Saint Augustine might painfully agree with that sentiment. He was a man who thought he had everything figured out at a young age. He was prideful, caught up in the world’s pleasures and focused solely on what could be learned from…
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The Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mass at Saint Petronille, Glen Elllyn | Today’s readings In my first priestly assignment, at Saint Raphael in Naperville, there was a huge football program for elementary school kids called Saint Raphael Football. It was not just a team, but a league, and lots of surrounding churches had teams in the league. You couldn’t live…
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Pope Saint Pius X
Mass at Saint Petronille, Glen Ellyn | Today’s readings Today we celebrate Saint Pius X, a man dedicated to pastoral ministry, and helping people to let go of whatever would hold them back on the journey of faith. He was born Joseph Sarto, the second of ten children in a poor Italian family. He became…
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Monday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s readings Today’s first reading has always intrigued me, ever since I can remember hearing it as a child. God intends to destroy the city of Sodom because of its pervasive wickedness. Abraham, newly in relationship with God, stands up for the innocent of the city, largely because that was where his nephew, Lot, had…
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The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
“I can’t believe you messed up again.”“You’re never going to amount to anything.”“No one will ever understand you … love you … care about you.” I think we can all agree that these statements are examples of negative self-talk. We can recognize that easily enough when other people say them. But what happens when we…
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Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s readings So today we learn that just because we call on the Lord, that doesn’t mean that the Lord is at our whim, someone we can summon in the same way as we press a button on the remote and the television comes to life. That’s what the whole nasty business with Abram and…
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The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)
Today’s readings “Give them some food yourselves.” Perhaps the most distinctive aspect of Catholic worship is our celebration of the Eucharist. We state very strongly that it’s not just a symbol, not just a nice memory. It is the actual Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord. We know that we are spiritually…
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Friday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s readings Saint Paul writes that he put up with persecution from all sides: from his own people as well as the Gentiles. He was beaten often, endured hazardous journeys and perilous weather, as well as every kind of deprivation. His experience was definitely extreme, but others who lived the faith in those days were…
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Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s readings Back when I was a seminarian intern, I had been visiting a parishioner at a local nursing home every week. I got to know her and her husband, and prayed with them often. One day, she was in the hospital, and I visited her there. Her husband told me she had been nonverbal:…
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