Turkey Dinner, long car trips, family, the Macy’s Parade, football, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, the beginning of the holiday season: all these things come to mind when we think of Thanksgiving Day. Apart from all that, Thanksgiving Day is a time when we pause to reflect upon our many blessings, both material and spiritual, and to gi...

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  As we edge closer to the closing of the liturgi-cal year, the Church selects readings that re-mind us of the final close: the second coming of Christ. It's easy, perhaps, to forget that this is a dogma of our Catholic faith. We see this dramatic end times language in today's Gos-pel. "The sun will be darkened ... an...

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In 1 Samuel, God advises the prophet Samuel not to observe as men see but as God sees. He tells him to "look to the heart." This is the movement of this Sun-day's Gospel reading. "Beware the scribes," Jesus ad-vises. He points out their public greetings and "seats of honor," which stands in sharp contrast...

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   "You are not far from the kingdom of God." What does it mean to be close to God's kingdom? In today's Gospel, Jesus is in a dialogue with teachers of the law. They know well the Law of Moses, with its complex codes, expectations, and punishments. What will Jesus say? "You shall love the Lord your God...

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  My Dear Brothers and Sisters, This week of National Vocation Awareness, I ask each of you to take some time to look at the new vocation posters that have been out in the parishes for just a few weeks now. Please notice the number of young men con-tinuing to respond to God’s Call. It is truly a blessing for our diocese y...

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"Son of David, have pity on me!" Has the cry of Bartimaeus ever escaped your lips? Today's Gos-pel tells the story of a blind man with a difficult lot in life. He made a living by begging coins off pass-ing travelers. When word reaches him that Jesus will be passing by, this is when he begins is shouts for mercy. Jesus hears...

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"What do you wish me to do for you?" Jesus asks a similar question in different Gospel passages, but the request of James and John is not repeated on any oth-er occasion. "Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left." They ask not for knowledge of God, not for crooked limbs to be st...

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  "Whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." This verse is part of a beauti-ful reflection on childlike faith. We're reminded of the innocence of children, how eager they are to ex-perience life and how quick they are to trust. Rarely do we hear it with the story that immediately pro...

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My dear sisters and brothers in Christ, "Every life cherished, chosen, sent" is the theme of this year's Respect Life Sunday. The theme echoes the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church which states: "The dignity of the human person is rooted in his creation in the image and likeness of God" (n.1700). ...

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   As we go about our days, we necessarily label, classify, and prioritize. What's "in" and what's "out" on our priority list? Because humans are so-cial beings, we tend to do the same thing with peo-ple. We can only invite six people to the dinner party. Our young child wants to invite certain fri...

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