Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost  descended in a bodily shape  like a dove upon him,  and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son;  in thee I am well pleased.” Luke 3:21,22…

Lord, every nation on earth Will adore you I wonder if the wise men were surprised by what they found at the end of their journey. They had left their homes and safety and comfort, spending months following the star. And for what? To finally meet a mighty king living…

Dear Parishioners: Advent is a time when we try to prepare ourselves for the feast-day of Christmas. I would like to share a few thoughts with you which might create an incentive to look at this celebration with a little bit of a change. Christmas is not the day when…

With God anything is possible. There is the danger to think that God will never forgive you or that you cannot change yourself or the world. In Advent we are reminded that we do not need to do everything ourselves and we should not look to inferior substitutes for God….

Isaiah prophesies that Jesus will bring reconciliation between even natural enemies: the wolf with the lamb, the cow with the bear, even the small child with the venomous snake. Who are your enemies? Do not lose hope for reconciliation. Through Jesus we too can experience reconciliation in our lives and…

Reflection The readings for this first Sunday of Advent remind us that the spiritual life is a journey. Any trip takes preparation and effort. It can be easier, more comfortable to stay where we are sleepwalking through life. But if we embark on the trip there are rewards, new experiences,…

The Sadducees are fixated on Dying; Jesus is focused on living. The Sadducees deny there is Resurrection; Jesus proves there Is by rising from the dead. The Sadducees are trapped by the affairs of this life; Jesus abides with the angels and “the children of God . . . who…

Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus. He wanted to see him really bad. Although he was a government official, he didn’t care if it was embarrassing. He climbed into a tree to see Jesus. His efforts were rewarded. Not only did he get to see him, but Jesus stopped, and told…

This parable in today’s gospel is a lesson in persistence in prayer. While the parable seems to present prayer as nagging God for what we want, such a reading misses the point. God is not like the judge in the parable, worn down by requests and coerced to respond. The…

Dear Friends: This week we celebrate All Saints and All Souls Day. The two days remind us that being Christians we belong to a greater community than the one we experience here on earth. Martyr’s and confessors, rulers and doctors of the Church, devoted ministers of religious brethren, kings of…