Today we celebrate Memorial Day. It has taken on various meanings. For many it marks the unofficial beginning of the summer season. In New York State it is the time when people plant most of their gardens, assured that there will be no more frosts after Memorial Day. Corresponding to the “no more frost” theory, …
When did you receive your sacraments? Most of us in the United States were baptized as babies. We then receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and our First Eucharist around the age of reason (7). Then, the next sacrament we receive would be Confirmation. In the United States Confirmation is typically done sometime between the ages of seven …
Sometimes there doesn’t seem to be a lot of love in the world. Sad considering that Jesus told us that the greatest commandment is to love God and the second is to love our neighbor. I believe we have an infinite capacity to love but in our humanness other emotions or misdirected love keep us …
On June 30th of this year I will celebrate the third anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood. It has been a good three years and I truly enjoy serving as a priest. There have been difficult moments both professionally and personally but I know that God has been with me through all of it. So …
For some people the only time they pray is on Sunday at Church. For others, they might say they pray the rosary everyday or we say grace before meals. Some pray regularly for their family and friends. If you read the gospels you will see that Jesus frequently went off to pray. Jesus is one …
I returned yesterday from a few days of retreat at Bethany Retreat Center. It is a quiet place in the hills of Pennsylvania. This is my second time there. I enjoy it because it is quiet, well removed from the “noise” of our society. They have walking trails and daily Mass in the chapel. Life …
I attended a presentation this week on discipleship. One of the questions offered by the speaker was “Are we willing to be disturbed?” The short answer for me is, of course, I don’t like to be disturbed. It is easy to think that disruptions in our lives keep us from doing important work. The reality …
This week the USCCB unveiled a new website called “For Your Vocation” designed to promote vocations. There are sections for men considering the priesthood, men and women considering religious life, for parents interested in promoting vocations, and for educators and youth leaders. Check it out at http://www.foryourvocation.org/. Peace, Fr. Jeff
Immigration Reform continues to be a hot topic. Some believe that the United States Bishops want to open our borders to everyone who wants to come and to make all illegal immigrants already in the country citizens without question. That is not the case. Here are two links that I received this week to articles …
Continue reading ‘Two Articles on the USCCB’s Position on Immigration Reform’ »
Today we celebrated the Ascension of the Lord. Since we are in year C, we are reading from Luke’s Gospel. Luke concludes his gospel with the story of Jesus taken up to the heavenly kingdom (i.e. the Ascension). Then our first reading for today is the first eleven verses of The Acts of the Apostles …
