Peter and John’s journey to Samaria and their praying for the bestowal of the Holy Spirit on those who had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus highlights one of two clear instances in the Book of Acts in which the effects of Baptism—that first sacrament we all received—don’t always follow the […]

Although perhaps less common today, Lent has long been associated with giving things up and denying ourselves. Such self‑denial has been practiced either as reparation for sin or as a way of strengthening our weakened wills, freeing them from enslavement to inordinate desire and the pursuit of pleasure. And when Saint Benedict says that the […]

12 April, 2026:–Second Sunday of Easter, Year A: Acts 2:42-47; 1Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-31 Thomas was willing to follow Jesus to Jerusalem to die with him (Jn 11:16). But at his arrest, Jesus said, “…let these men go.” Did Thomas realize then that Jesus was called to something unique, if unknown to Thomas; that it […]

We have spent these last six weeks of Lent in a spirit of repentance, sorrow, and lament for our many sins and failings. Indeed, these final days have focused especially on the great price that Christ lovingly paid for our sins and our salvation. Somewhat suddenly, then, on this holy night of the Lord’s rising, […]

The impassioned feelings and sometimes heated controversies surrounding the Novus Ordo and the Vetus Ordo of pre–Vatican II worship highlight the complex nature and sacred purpose of the Eucharist whose institution we celebrate this evening. The relatively simple and pared‑down Novus Ordo might even be considered elaborate when set beside the utter simplicity of that […]

22 March, 2026, Fifth Sunday of Lent, YR A: Ezekiel 37:12-14; Romans 8:8-11; John 11:1-45 In John’s Gospel, Christ is life, but much more than biological life. For those who believe, Christ gives eternal life. In Christ, we begin to function at that level where faith is cultivated, where compassion is born, where our life […]

The distinct tasks of discerning, then knowing, and finally carrying out the will of God each present their own particular challenges. The Gospel describes Joseph as a righteous man, and so it seems unlikely that he would have resolved to divorce Mary quietly without first seeking, in prayer, to understand God’s will in the bewildering […]

1 March, 2026, 2nd Sunday of Lent, YR A: Genesis 12:1-4a; 2 Timothy 1:8b-10; Matthew 17:1-9 Did you notice the detail in today’s Gospel that is only reported by Matthew? When the disciples hear the voice from the cloud and fall prostrate with fear, Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be […]

1 February: 4th Sunday, YR A: Zephaniah 2:3, 3:12-13; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12a If I make sense reality by reducing it to “winners” and “losers,” I probably prefer not to hear today’s Gospel. If I listen to Jesus words from my insecurities, I may fear that I’m being asked to become a door mat. […]

The wonderful promise according to which the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, and the rod of their taskmaster, are smashed as on the day of Midian seems, perhaps, too promising to be true—at least in the light of our own experience. For, despite our heartfelt appeals to God for this liberation […]