Today is Thanksgiving. It’s a national holiday but it is also an appropriate day to celebrate in the church. We are a people of thanksgiving. The word Eucharist actually comes from a Greek word that means thanksgiving. Every time we celebrate Mass we give thanks to God. Our prayers at Mass speak of our thanks …
Christ the King, Year C 2 Samuel 5:1-3 Colossians 1:12-20 Luke 23:35-43 November 24, 2013 The Israelites realize it is time to make David their king. God had already anointed David as king but the Israelites are just coming to realize the leadership that David has shown. They realize that even when Saul was still …
33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C Malachi 3:19-20a 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12 Luke 21:5-19 November 17, 2013 Next week we will celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King and then the weekend after that we will begin Advent. Advent marks the beginning of a new liturgical year in the church. Before we can begin …
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32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14 2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5 Luke 20:27-38 November 10, 2013 The Resurrection is a central mystery of our faith. The Resurrection is essential to who we are as Christians. At Easter we proclaim “Jesus Christ is Risen today.” But what does the Resurrection really mean …
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Yesterday I read a news story on the NBC news website about Pope Francis announcing that the Vatican will survey the church before next year’s synod on the family. As the story says, it is “fascinating” that this will be done. When I read this story, I had a sense that some people will …
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Today, I would like to write about two different things that Pope Francis has done this week. The first happened today. At noon Rome time, Pope Francis named Bishop Salvatore R. Matano as the ninth Bishop of Rochester. I was able to watch the news conference via the Internet on the Catholic Courier website. He …
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31st Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C Wisdom 11:22-12:2 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2 Luke 19:1-10 November 3, 2013 Zacchaeus was seen as a sinner. He was a tax collector and tax collectors were known for their extortion. In those days, extortion was almost expected but yet still was stealing and thus broke the commandment. To add …
Here is an article I wrote for the cover of our bulletin. A Time to Honor Those Who Have Gone Before Us On Friday we celebrated All Saints’ Day. Throughout the year there are feasts and memorials of many different saints. On All Saints’ Day, we honor all who are in Heaven, whether they are …
Today (November 1st) we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints. There are many saints known by name. When I asked our parish school children to name some saints, half of their hands went up immediately. Saints are important to us. St. Francis, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Patrick, St. Elizabeth, St. Anne, and the …
