Saint Sylvester I, pray for us – John thought of the birth of Jesus as the coming of light into this darkness. “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” The tiny light that had first shone in Bethlehem was still shining nearly a hundred years later. Christmas tells us …
Jesus taught the disciples how prophets in Scripture testified to his life and death. Now Anna does the very same at the beginning of Jesus’ life. In the child she holds in her arms, Anna sees the redemption of Israel. Like a prophet, she proclaims the good news to the people around her. She blesses …
Saint Thomas Becket, pray for us – As we come to the end of one year and prepare for the new, 2021 looks and feels like Simeon in his old age. And we can entrust the past to God so that something new can begin for us all. The peace that radiates through this gospel …
Holy Innocents, pray for us – Herod destroys, Joseph protects, and the Magi adore. The families who experienced the slaying of the Holy Innocents probably never knew why this tragedy occurred. These are the forgotten victims of Christmas. The babies died because they had the misfortune of being born in the same place and at …
Saint John the Evangelist, pray for us – Please know, that wherever we are in our life of faith, Jesus is with us. He will continue to meet us where we are fearful, he will be with us when our heart is locked to everyone else; he is with us as we attempt to walk …
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, pray for us – The gift of our family is the greatest treasure of our lives. Sadly, we often take that love for granted, misplace it in our lives or discover its meaning late in life or sadly never discover it at all. Christmas and this Feast …
The Nativity of the Lord – The scene of the Nativity is an invitation and a promise. The invitation is to leave our pursuit of understanding behind and instead enter into mystery. To be as vulnerable as this child and these parents. To be as open as the shepherds and as generous of heart as the …
For Zechariah, the way of peace is not some pie-in-the-sky dream. It is an ages-old, earth-bound vision of universal salvation which we glimpse in Micah and the prophets and hear again as Good News in Luke. Let us see anew, with Zechariah, that the way of peace is where God meets us in covenant relationship. …
Saint John of Kanty, pray for us – We might not be as unusual as John. But John was simply being himself and we are reminded today to be ourselves in being heralds of the great King. Simply by being who we are, we let Christ’s presence in us shine out to others. We need …
Some lives proclaim the greatness of wealth. Some lives proclaim the greatness of power. But thank goodness there are those like Mary whose lives proclaim the greatness of God. Their lives reflect God’s love and care for all the sons and daughters of earth. They take time for people. They are sensitive to the needs …
