“He told them: ‘Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt”. Luke 9: 3 When I was 21, my life was unfolding before me, day by day. I was knocking on doors, making cold calls as an agent with Met Life, thinking I could convince people twice my […]
“I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly” John 10: 10 One of the challenges some people have in responding to organized religion is a concern that they have got to “get right” with God to have any prosperity in this world and a good life in the hereafter. Many […]
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store way in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6:26-27 I recall a Labor Day more […]
“Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life within you” (John 6: 53). I received a text a few weeks back from a nephew who was struggling with his faith in God, wondering if was more up to him than God, to make his way […]
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Among the most highly prescribed medications are those treating anxiety or depression. It appears that so many depend on pharmaceuticals to get them through the day. Underlying much of the sadness of disappointments or fear of the “what if’s” of life is a […]
“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28). We end this series on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as depicted in stained glass behind the main altar at St. Mary of the […]
“Unless you renounce all that you have, you cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). Charles Borromeo was born in 1538 and happened to live during the time of the Protestant Reformation. Borromeo was known in his life as a reformer in the Catholic Church. Belonging to Milanese nobility, and related to the powerful Medici family, […]
“God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I am has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14). Last week, we experienced the untimely passing of a gifted priest, Fr. Michael Hull. While I didn’t know him personally, I was blessed to hear many of […]
“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?” (Matthew 13: 55) The gift of fortitude is depicted in stained glass at St. Mary’s Church and attributed to St. Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. While much is written about Our Lady and the birth of Jesus, little is recorded about Joseph. We know that the news of […]
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel” (Proverbs 12:15). Watching the Presidential debates last week, where candidates in a crowded field sought ways to stand out, offering solutions to improve access to healthcare, higher paying jobs, and enhancing our standing abroad, […]