The Solemnity of Our Lord MT 25:31-46 November 26, 2017 A political research group has published its findings which indicate that currently, there are 49 dictatorships in the world...
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 25:14-30 November 19, 2017 One of my oldest and dearest friends is celebrating her wedding anniversary today. As it happens, they planned so...
Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 25:1-13 November 12, 2017 There is an international project named “BREAKTHROUGH STARSHOT” that is making rapid advances in the ...
Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 23:1-12 November 5, 2017 I was pleased to be invited to the family gathering marking the 60th wedding anniversary of former parishioners who...
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 22:34-40 October 29, 2017 Our First Reading from the Book of Exodus is easily compared and contrasted with our Gospel. To start, both are about...
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 22:15-21 October 22, 2017 In order to get a sense of what is going on in today’s Gospel, think about what’s going on in our coun...
Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 22:1-14 October 15, 2017 The Readings on this 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, take me back several years to the early and tragic death of a c...
Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 21:33-43 October 8, 2017 Last week, another high-ranking government official lost his prestigious and powerful White House position becaus...
Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 21:28-32 October 1, 2017 It probably would have been a good idea for me to take this weekend off. I say that because a preacher should pract...
Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 20:1-16A September 24, 2017 One doesn’t have to search too far in the Old Testament in order to find a conflict between what Israel consider...
Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 18:21-35 September 17, 2017 Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter; Whoever finds one finds a treasure. Faithful friends are beyond price, N...
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 18:15-20 September 10, 2017 The Gospel passage for this 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time is a little like the Grand Canyon; there is so much to ...
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 16:21-27 September 3, 2017 Early last winter, I was contacted by a priest friend asking if I could preside at the Sunday Masses at his pari...
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 16:13-20 August 27, 2017 A few months ago, I helped a close friend, one of the senior priests of the Diocese, (even more senior than myself)...
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 15:21-28 August 20, 2017 A 20-year-old man from Maumee, Ohio, has added his name to the growing list of hate mongers. Last Saturday, motivated ...
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 14:22-33 August 13, 2017 Jesus’s “walking on water” is a very dramatic Gospel that is well known to people of faith and to non-believers as we...
Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord MT 17:1-9 August 6, 2017 Celebrating the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord midsummer on what otherwise would have been the 18th Sund...
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 13:44-52 July 30, 2017 The other morning, I walked into my mother’s apartment at the assisted living facility where she lives. I wasn’t surpr...
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 13:24-43 July 23, 2017 If you drive past my house during the spring and summer, one glance will alert you to the fact that I am no gardener. I ...
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 13:1-23 July 16, 2017 Trying to write with a broken pencil is pointless! This was one of a number of little riddles that a friend recently forw...
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 11:25-30 July 9, 2017 The experts tell us that: Every pound of excess weight exerts about 4 pounds of extra pressure on the knees. So a person...
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 10:37-42 July 2, 2017 Early on, students in composition classes learn about a literary technique called “the back story.” The concept isn’t ne...
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 10:26-33 June 25, 2017 On Wednesday, June 14, 2017, we woke to the shocking news that over 20 U.S. Congressmen, staff members, and lobbyists were...
Body and Blood of Christ JN 6:51-58 June 18, 2017 A friend recently told me about a chance encounter at Sunday Mass with a mutual friend of ours. She said: “I love that just sittin...
Trinity Sunday JN 3:16-18 June 11, 2017 One of the first things that American elementary school students learn about our government is that there is a system of checks and balances...
Pentecost Sunday JN 20:19-23 June 4, 2017 This past Sunday, I was standing near the doors of the church after Mass, greeting people as they made their way to their cars. A young fa...
The Ascension of the Lord MT 28:16-20 May 28, 2017 Featured speakers at the White House correspondence dinner this year were Woodward and Bernstein. Both gave short talks…mor...
Sixth Sunday of Easter JN 14:15-21 May 21, 2017 In the First Letter of St. Peter, our Second Reading (3:15-18), we are told to “always be ready to give an explanation to anyo...
Fifth Sunday of Easter JN 14:1-12 May 14, 2017 Once upon a time, telephones were just for talking. Then, one day, it somehow happened that phones became “smart.” They l...
Fourth Sunday of Easter JN 10:1-10 May 7, 2017 Just before Holy Week, I had an extremely unnerving experience that is worth sharing as we begin this 4th week of Easter. The pastor ...
Third Sunday of Easter LK 24:13-35 April 30, 2017 Today’s Gospel is something of a treasure map…with a few added details. Somewhat uncharacteristic of the Gospels, and offered in a...
Second Sunday of Easter JN 20:19-31 April 23, 2017 A fair number of years ago, when I was much younger, healthier, and more fit, I was in a convenience store fairly late in the eve...
The Resurrection of the Lord JN 20:1-9 April 16, 2017 We began this Lenten Season marveling at the fullness of Jesus’s human nature as He withstood the temptations of the flesh. He...
Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion MT 26:14—27:66 April 9, 2017 Early in my ministry, when I still found preaching more nerve-provoking than delightful, (BTW, after over a qua...
Fifth Sunday of Lent JN 11:1-45 April 2, 2017 This is the third Sunday in a row that we’ve been given powerful images on which to ponder and reflect. First, there was a drama...
Fourth Sunday of Lent JN 9:1-41 March 26, 2017 On this 4th Sunday of Lent, our Readings are filled with physical things that are brilliant communicators IF one takes the time to no...
Third Sunday of Lent JN 4:5-42 March 19, 2017 If you look at a map of the Middle East, it’s amazing to think that it took Israel 40 years of wandering through the Sinai Peninsula b...
Second Sunday of Lent MT 17:1-9 March 12, 2017 This past week, I was watching an “online” video about the Sacraments of the Catholic Church. At one point, the lecturer used a word ...
First Sunday of Lent MT 4:1-11 March 5, 2017 There is a BIG difference between “excuses” and “reasons.” For one thing, we can learn, improve, and make progress when we search for a...
Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 6:24-34 February 26,2017 I haven’t seen the most recent movie directed by Martin Scorsese, “Silence.” It has been called his “ma...
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 5:38-48 February 19, 2017 If a youthful, mop-topped blond kid walked into my parish by himself on a Sunday morning, I would be delighted. I’d mak...
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 5:17-37 February 12, 2017 It’s possible that, in the near future, there will be a wall separating the U.S. and Mexico. The mere suggestion that a w...
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 5:13-16 February 5, 2017 Last week, my oldest and dearest friends invited me to join them on a short trip to Cuba. The “price was right,” so I deci...
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 5:1-12A January 29, 2017 In our First Reading, the Prophet Zephaniah depicts “the law” as a kind of shelter for the righteous. This ma...
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time MT 4:12-23 January 22, 2017 Marveling at the fact that we are already nearing the end of January, a friend explained that each year, he experiences a ...
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time JN 1:29-34 January 15, 2016 The calendar doesn’t always cooperate with the telling of The Story of Salvation. We celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany...
Epiphany of the Lord MT 2:1-12 January 8, 2017 I did something this week that I have never done before. I woke up from a very disturbing dream, ran right past the coffee pot, skipp...
Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary LK 2:16-21 January 1, 2017 I was talking with a parent who has concerns about the direction the life of an adult child is taking. After listeni...
The Nativity Of The Lord MT 1:1-25 December 25, 2016 Most people have a very special “Christmas memory” from years gone by. Maybe we treasure the year we were snowed in and had no ...
Fourth Sunday of Advent MT 1:18-24 December 18, 2016 I celebrated a birthday last Sunday. It wasn’t a big one…but close…very, very close to a BIG one. Ironically, the day before, m...
Third Sunday of Advent MT 11:2-11 December 11, 2016 People who are not grounded in faith consider the Bible to be “ancient literature.” Those who cannot bring themselves to embrace...
Second Sunday of Advent MT 3:1-12 December 4, 2016 We began the Advent Season last weekend with a set of Readings that, when proclaimed against the backdrop of the current state of...
First Sunday of Advent MT 24:37-44 November 27, 2016 The division within our country can’t be denied. LET US PRAY for a spirit of empathy, so that Americans at least attempt to see...