25 March, Annunciation: Isaiah 7:10-2, 8:10; Hebrews 10:4-10; Luke 1:26-38 We read of Mary’s Son in the First Chapter of Luke’s Gospel: …the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end. In the […]

2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16; Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22; Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a This week our pilgrimage to Jesus’ Passion is interrupted by two Solemnities that recall his human origins. Jesus’ place in our human realm is as dependent upon the good will of Saint Joseph as upon the consent of Mary. Jesus’ birth would […]

Monday of the 3rd WK of Lent: 2 Kings 5:1-15; Luke 4:24-30 Jesus is very realistic about rejection; it is even valuable, validating his prophetic mission. By contrast, a present day “Influencer” might consult a strategist, were his or her ratings disappointing on the internet. How dependent we are on approval! We reduce reality to […]

Thursday of the 7th WK of the Year: Sirach 1:1-10; Mark 9:14-29 Mark loses no opportunity to underline the coincidence between our faith, and God’s healing power in Jesus. The variant in this episode is the transparency, the honesty and lack of pretension of that human faith. Whose faith is not as deficient as that […]

Thursday of the 5th WK of the Year: Genesis 4:1-15, 25; Mark 8:11-14       After such a good start in the Book of Genesis, human affairs rapidly go from bad to worse. Things are not much different in Jesus’ ministry as portrayed by Mark.        That it is why it is so important that […]

There are still several openings for those who wish to spend the Sacred Triduum at our Retreat House. Arrival is on Wednesday, April 5 and departure after lunch on Easter Sunday, April 9. Reservations can be made at 540-955-4383 or you can leave a message at information@hcava.org

Fifth Sunday, Year A, 5 February, 2023: Isaiah 58:7-10; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 5:33-46      Salt does not choose to be salty nor does light make any effort to shine: it is part of their natures. I believe the problems begin when, hearing this parable, we force ourselves to imitate the salt of the earth […]

Let faith be for us, then, like the first day on which we believers are separated from unbelievers, as light from darkness.  Let hope be the second day:  through it, dwelling in the heavens and through the merits of faith hoping only for things above the heavens, with God urging us on, we are distinguished […]

Monday of the 2nd WK of the Year: Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 2:18-22       In a country like ours, with no compelling sense of restraint or self-mortification, fasting for no good reason could wake us up to our habit of self-appeasement. The attempt could actually generate a solid motivation for the practice.       Fasting is never […]

Second Sunday, Year A, 15 January, 2023: Isaiah 49:3, 5-6; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34