If the first Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of a new liturgical year, why does the Gospel focus on endings as it talks about the sun and moon darkening and the stars falling from the sky? We're supposed to be preparing to celebrate Jesus' birth as the Messiah, not hear about the end of the ...

Any experienced driver knows that a road that zig-zags takes longer than a straight path to get to a destination. The same is true spiritually, as we see in today's reading. But the question is: why were the roads to God crooked in the first place?

The Third Sunday of Advent is traditionally called Gaudete, or Rejoice, Sunday—and all of the readings for this week invite us to do just that. This first reading from the prophet Zephaniah opens with a threefold call to joy, "Shout for joy… sing joyfully…. Be glad and exult with all your heart" ...

Many Catholics are familiar with the story of "the Visitation," when Mary and Elizabeth met. But many don't know why the scene of two expectant mothers greeting each other is so important. Apart from affirming Mary's miraculous pregnancy, the scene also shows Mary's service and humility as she tr...

It's tempting to think that the Blessed Virgin was somehow different from the rest of us—that she knew exactly what would happen in her life and never had to work through difficult periods. Yet, she did. And in her, we see how certain trials in our lives fit perfectly within the bigger picture of...

On this day we encounter the Magi coming from the East to worship the baby Jesus. What were the Magi? And why did they travel so far to find the Child King? What did these "foreigners" see that eluded the leaders and people of Israel?

On this first Sunday of Ordinary Time, we recall the Baptism of the Lord. But, in addition to remembering this historical event, we also are asked to call to mind our own baptism. Why? Because our baptism isn't just an event from the past, but a present reality that impacts every aspect of our li...

Mary's words at the wedding feast at Cana - "Do whatever he tells you" - offers two examples of prompt obedience and Christian discipleship. May Mary's words encourage us to show our trust in Jesus by promptly obeying him in all things, filling our "jars to the brim" in whatever he may ask of us.

Luke's Gospel recounts the beginning of Jesus' public ministry as He returns "in the power of the Holy Spirit" to Nazareth and stands up in the synagogue to read from the prophet Isaiah. There Isaiah declares that the Spirit of the Lord has commissioned him to announce good news to the poor, news...

Jesus returns to his hometown of Nazareth to give a homily in the synagogue. At first, everyone is impressed. But then Jesus takes on the tone of a prophet and his hometown friends take offense, even inhibiting the ability of Jesus to effectively minister there. What lesson might we learn from th...

Simon Peter had been up all night fishing unsuccessfully, but Jesus tells him to go out and try one more time. It's easy to imagine how a seasoned fisherman like Simon Peter might resist the suggestion. But, in the end, he agrees. Perhaps he didn't expect to catch anything. So we can imagine his ...

Imagine yourself sitting at the feet of Jesus when he gave the Beatitudes. Hear him say that the rich and satisfied will be unhappy. Hear him offer a path of true happiness through humble obedience and faith. Do you accept this humble path?

Take a moment now and close your eyes. Imagine that you are with the disciples as Jesus begins to talk. You hear him say, "To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks ...

Imagine that you and Jesus are standing in today's Gospel reading under a fruit tree, loaded with ripening fruit. Jesus points to the fruit and says, "A good tree does not bear rotten fruit . . .every tree is known by its fruit." In prayer, ask Jesus to show you areas where you are not bearing go...

At the start of Lent we are invited to once again be strengthened in the Holy Spirit and in the Word of God. We are strengthened so that we may face the temptations of Satan each day just as Jesus did for us while he prayed and fasted in the desert. What tactics does Satan use to try to get you t...

What an amazing experience it must have been for Peter, James and John to witness an event few humans can imagine – the glory of Jesus! And yet we experience a similar miracle at every Mass as the glory of Jesus is shown to us in the Eucharist. The three Apostles didn't take their experience for ...

At this midway point in our Lenten journey, today's readings show us the Exodus, the great journey of the Jewish people out of Egypt. What are we to think of this amazing drama as Moses defied the King of Egypt, risking everything to obey God and lead His people out of their slavery?

In today’s Gospel we hear about the Prodigal Son from the Gospel of Luke. Scriptures talk about a son who was lost is now found and is received into the loving arms of his father. How do you view God the father? Do you fall upon His love and mercy when you’ve strayed? Let us remember that we ...

Today's reading from the Gospel of John tells of a woman who was caught in the sin of adultery, and then caught again--but this time in God's mercy and love. The account provides not only a striking example of Jesus' mercy, but also his call to conversion. He offers forgiveness and healing and a ...

The readings for Palm, or Passion, Sunday are the most dramatic of the whole year. They recount the entire story of Christ's death from Holy Thursday through Good Friday. One of the unusual aspects of this week's Gospel reading is that it is the one time during the year when all of us take part i...

Today we celebrate the greatest of all Christian feasts: Easter Sunday. We come together rejoicing in the goodness of God, knowing that Christ's resurrection from the dead gives us the hope that we too will rise someday with him.

There are two sides to Christ's love. On one side He mercifully loves us wherever he finds us, even in our sin. On the other side, we see that he loves us too much to leave us in that condition, but draws us out to be transformed.