The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord Most of us have felt on occasion that things were going so badly that we just wished we could start all over! A second chance! Or maybe your life is not going that well and you realize that you are just not the person you should be. I would bet that most […]
OUR SEARCH FOR GOD It is likely that each of us here actively seeks the Lord. Jesus instructs us to seek Him, saying, “Seek and you will find.” Man and woman’s search for God is a recurring story through the ages as we try to discover the meaning of our lives. While meditating on the Fifth Joyful Mystery of the […]
The teaching that Mary is God’s mother was proclaimed to teach us that Jesus is true man AND true God. Each January 1 (the Octave of Christmas), the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. I receive more comments and questions from non-Catholics, and even some Catholics, about the Church’s Marian practices and teachings than just about any other topic. […]
The Holy Family The Feast of the Holy Family celebrates the holiness and joy of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph of Nazareth. By celebrating this feast during the Christmas season, the Church wants us to see the important link between the birth of our Savior and the family. Pope Francis has said of the Feast of the Holy […]
Feeling let down by politicians and public figures who say they are Catholic, but their words and actions are often contrary to the teachings of the Church? Do we seek good examples for ourselves, our children or our grandchildren to emulate because we hope they will demonstrate in word and deed what it means to be authentically Catholic? Perhaps we […]
How do we integrate our faith with our work? If you think about it, most of us will likely spend the majority of our adult (awake) lives in the workplace. A typical eight hour work day accounts for a third of the total day, with the other two-thirds devoted to sleeping, family, friends, faith, and so on. In the practice […]
As I considered what to write for this post in the first week of 2020, I reflected on years of well-intended resolutions to lose weight, go to daily Mass, pick up a new hobby, play more tennis, etc. which ended in failure as my desires clashed with the reality of my busy schedule and stubborn resistance to change. I like […]
Do you ever feel overwhelmed with all of the stress, responsibilities and challenges in your daily life? If I am honest with myself, the times I feel most anxious or stressed are usually caused by my lifelong tendency to over-complicate things and an inclination towards “busyness”. I am grateful for the occasional insights I have into ways to address this […]
“They knew they couldn’t heal their friend themselves. But they could bring him to Jesus.” As we jump into Ordinary Time this week, the Gospel readings at daily Mass don’t lose any time moving through the extraordinary works of Jesus’ public ministry. This is because Ordinary Time always begins with Mark’s Gospel, and Mark doesn’t lose any time with anything. […]
“See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are.” (1 John 3:1) Almost every year on the upcoming feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Pope Francis encourages Christians to celebrate the day of their baptism. “The celebration of Jesus’ baptism invites every Christian to remember his […]
What shall we give him? I have always been intrigued by the magi. Their story forms the majority of Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus Christ, and yet there remain so many questions about these mysterious figures. Where did they come from? How did they know to follow the star? What did they think when they found the Holy […]
“God became man and became friends with people like us.” It’s fitting that a few days after we celebrate God becoming man, we celebrate the feast of one of his best friends. John the apostle, evangelist, guardian of the Blessed Mother, and beloved disciple was also an apologist for the mystery we celebrate during this season: the Incarnation. One of […]
Dr. Scott Hahn reflects on the Mass readings for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A). Readings:Isaiah 49:3, 5–6Psalm 40:2, 4, 7–101 Corinthians 1:1–3John 1:29–34 Jesus speaks through the prophet Isaiah in today’s First Reading. He tells us of the mission given to Him by the Father from the womb: “‘You are My servant,’ He said to Me.” Servant and Son, our […]
John the Baptist pointed out Jesus as the spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This title, so prominent in the Mass, illumines the meaning of Christ’s passion, recalling the first Passover remembered every year during Holy Week and the Triduum. The Mass readings for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) are Isaiah […]
Dr. Scott Hahn reflects on the Mass readings for The Baptism of the Lord (Year A): Isaiah 42:1–4, 6–7Psalm 29:1–4, 9–10Acts 10:34–38Matthew 3:13–17 Jesus presents himself for baptism in today’s Gospel not because He is a sinner, but to fulfill the word of God proclaimed by His prophets. He must be baptized to reveal that He is the Christ (“anointed one”)—the Spirit-endowed […]
Dr. Scott Hahn reflects on the Mass readings for Christmastide: The Epiphany of the Lord Readings:Isaiah 60:1–6Psalm 72:1–2, 7–8, 10–13Ephesians 3:2–3, 5–6Matthew 2:1–12 An “epiphany” is an appearance. In today’s readings, with their rising stars, splendorous lights, and mysteries revealed, the face of the child born on Christmas day appears. Herod, in today’s Gospel, asks the chief priests and scribes where the Messiah […]
This week’s poem in the Catholic Poetry Room is by Colin Cutler. […]
When the Lord heals, He almost always heals from the inside out. Referring to the inside does not mean that He heals only internal disease, damage or infection. But rather, that He wants to heal the whole person, and in order to do this He must begin by healing the interior life of a person. An example of this is […]
This week’s poem in the Catholic Poetry Room is by Jeffrey Essmann. The […]
Just what is it that leads us through this life? This is a question we should ask ourselves and wrestle with from time to time. However, we should do this only after we have wrestled with the first and more immediate question: Where we are going in this life? Or perhaps more accurately, what is life really all about? Some […]
On Human Dignity… “Much remains to be done to support those whose lives are wounded and to restore hope to those who are afraid of life. Courage is needed to resist pressures and false slogans, to proclaim the supreme dignity of all life, and to demand that society itself give it its protection. A distinguished American, Thomas Jefferson, once stated: […]
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5) Please share on Facebook and other social media. Print this entry
“I delight to do thy will, O my God; thy law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8) Please share on Facebook and other social media. Print this entry
“But he [Stephen], filled with the holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’ But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, […]