Although the theme of light dominates the Christmas season, Epiphany is a kind of climax; the solemn blessing alone speaks of God’s “wonderful light” and of Christ “as a light shining in darkness” and “Light from Light,” as we pray that Christ make of the baptized “a light for your…

Dear Parishners  A BLESSED CHRISTMAS SEASON to all of you. I write this to wish you and your entire family the peace, love, happiness and joy of CHRISTMAS  and a grace filled NEW YEAR 2015. May the birth of Jesus be an experience of unity, fraternity, sharing and fulfillment for…

Today’s feast of the Holy Family is about God’s promise. God promised Abraham and Sarah many descendants “as countless as the sands on the seashore” (Second Reading). The promise was fulfilled; Jesus was born into the household of Joseph and Mary. Jesus, the light of all nations, was presented to…

The simple, if surprising, story of the Annunciation lies at the heart of today’s liturgy, yet it can be easy to get stuck in there, as if the exchange between God’s messenger and Mary is just a historical detail to be remembered. But as important as Mary’s unique role is…

On this Gaudete Sunday, we are encouraged to “rejoice” no less than four times. The Entrance Antiphon from Paul’s letter to the Philippians encourages us to “rejoice” because of the nearness of the Lord, a sentiment echoed in the Second Reading. In the First Reading, the prophet exclaims, “I rejoice…

A scant eight days into Advent, the liturgy brims with hope: “Comfort, give comfort to my people,” cries the prophet Isaiah in the First Reading. “Here comes with power the Lord God.” Earlier in Isaiah’s prophecy, we hear the familiar Advent call: “In the desert prepare the way of the…

Advent rings forth with the Gospel reading’s abrupt words from Jesus: “Be watchful! Be alert!” Coming as it does amid the hustle of the secular holiday season, Jesus’ urgency may be just what we need to jolt us into Advent reflection. The liturgy draws our attention first to the hope…

On this last Sunday of the liturgical year, we acclaim Christ as “King of the Universe” (Collect), but today’s readings especially could well make this day “Christ the Judge.” The Gospel passage makes this point forcefully: Just as ancient shepherds separated sheep from goats, so the glorious Son of Man…

Paul’s words to the Thessalonians (Second Reading) remind us that we stand at the end of Ordinary time — the end of time itself, as it were — as he describes the coming of the last days “like labor pains upon a pregnant woman.” Fidelity in service is the keynote…

Today, we celebrate the dedication of St. John Lateran, the cathedral church of Rome. Although we mark the dedication of a building, we more importantly give thanks for the Church itself, God’s “chosen” and “faithful” people, who will “build up the heavenly Jeru-salem” (Collect). Paul proclaims in the Second Reading…