There is something remarkably universal about most Catholic parishes in the U.S.: Our parishioners come from everywhere. The Catholic Church is 2,000 years old, is a presence in every country, […]
In the Gospel reading from Thursday, March 14, the Lord teaches the need to persist in prayer. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock […]
As I write this, it is midwinter in the Northern Hemisphere. Like each season, winter has its time, its three months. To many of us, there seems to be a […]
At Mass for Wednesday of the first week of the year, we read a text from Hebrews that describes our most basic and primal fear. Our inordinate fear of what people […]
In the Liturgy of the Hours last week, we read a remarkable (sic) attributed to St. Macarius, a bishop of the early Church. I marvel at its vivid imagery, and […]
I’ve often been impressed by the ability of old African-American spirituals to treat serious subjects in a clear, memorable and almost joyful way. This is true even of weighty matters […]
The Collect (opening prayer) for last week’s Masses (27th Week of the Year), though directed to God, teaches us that our prayer is not always about things with which we […]
A common pastoral problem today is that many people have reduced the liturgy and the sacraments to ceremonies. To be sure, they have ceremonial aspects, but they are not mere […]
