Liturgically we begin the new year honoring Mary as the Mother of God. Scripture tells us that eight days after the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph took the child to the temple to be circumcised. There, Simeon told Mary that Jesus would be a light to reveal God to the nations, and that Jesus [...]
In this season of Advent, we are reminded of the power of words. Mary’s fiat, her willingness to follow God’s will changed all of human history by bringing about the incarnation, the miracle of the Word made flesh. In our daily lives, we experience the power of words. Familiar carols call to mind the birth [...]
The feast of All Saints and All Souls, unite us in remembering our dead, praying for them, mourning our loss, remembering the traditions and lessons they taught us, and recalling the funny family stories handed from one generation to the next. On the other hand, many of the discussions of the recent elections continue to [...]
Many recent news reports have focused on relationships – familial, national and international. As Congress works out the details of the physical and social structures that connect and support us, President Biden is meeting with world leaders to consider climate change, the world economy and the health of our planet and of all who inhabit [...]
Through her words and her life our Blessed Mother reminds us that God’s judgement is very different from ours. As Mary acknowledged in her Magnificat, God chose her, a poor, lowly woman, to be the mother of the Christ. In Mary’s humble, faith-filled response and in the incarnation, we see that God’s love and power [...]
The three titles attached to last Monday’s holiday call us to an examination of consciousness. We need to reflect on our national history, personal identity and faith tradition. Columbus’ multi-purposed trip proved his perseverance and determination that eventually led to nation building and the simultaneous dehumanizing of the native people and suppression of their nations [...]
As the New Eve and Mother of the Living, Mary calls us to attend to our common and increasingly fragile home. The nightly news with accounts of extreme weather, floods and flash floods, wildfire smoke that clouded the nation’s skies remind us that no one is exempt from the dangers of climate change or the [...]
Despite mass protests throughout the United States following the May 25th, 2020, murder of George Floyd during an arrest and months of work by a bipartisan group of legislators, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021 failed. The bill called for comprehensive reforms, including banning racial, religious, and other discriminatory profiling, banning chokeholds [...]
Patron of Haiti, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, shows both hope and concern as comforts her son and looks out toward all of us; the icon is comforting and complicated. The 12,000 migrants camped in Del Rio, Texas, many of whom are Haitians, know too well the complicated mix of hope and worry. The Biden [...]
Long before September 11th commemorations, September has evoked a host of memories. Fall foliage marks the passage of time and the omnipresent ads for pencils and lunchboxes remind us of our best and worst experiences of our early learning. A “do-over” opportunity for students and teachers. the new school year provides a model for continuing [...]
