May 23, 2012 - The Holy Spirit is the life of the Church and of each member.  Through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, we receive God's very own life into our souls.

May 16, 2012 - Christ's ascension opens up to us new horizons of existence, reminding us that there's more to life than meets the eye.

May 9, 2012 - In a world plagued by violence and hatred, cynicism and despair, the message that “God is love” is one that desperately needs to be heard.
 

April 25, 2012 - The readings during the Easter season show how the risen Lord continues his work of redemption in and through his Church. This week in particular we are reminded of how he works through his priests.

April 18, 2012 - Christ is the key to understanding the Bible. The Christian faith is not a ‘religion of the book.’ Christianity is the religion of the Word of God, a word which is not a written and mute word, but the Word which is incarnate and living. we speak to him when we pray; we hear him when we read the divine sayings.

April 11, 2012 - In some Protestant churches, the Sunday after Easter is (unofficially) known as “Low Sunday” because Easter Day has priority—and because relatively few people attend church that day. But for us as Catholics, Easter is celebrated seven whole weeks. Every Sunday is special because it highlights a different aspect of the resurrection. This Sunday focuses on God’s mercy.

April 4, 2012 - Our faith in the resurrection begins with the testimony of the apostles and ends with our own experience of Christ. The testimony of the apostles can take one a certain distance along the path of faith, but it’s our own personal encounter with the risen Lord through Scripture, prayer and the sacraments that we come to believe.

March 28, 2012 - When God disappears from public life, the world eventually descends into darkness and despair. The emptiness left by the disappearance of God is filled by selfishness, greed, lust and violence. Christ conquered evil, but the battle still goes on. It’s up to us to bear witness to the Son of God. We must take up our cross, follow Christ, resist evil and defend life.

March 21, 2012 - The Eucharist is both a sign and an invitation to all people to become part of God’s one, holy family.  In the sacraments of the new covenant, especially the Eucharist, God writes the law of love on our heart so we can experience it in a deeply personal way and then share it.

March 14, 2012 - One of the first things one notices upon entering a typical Catholic Church is the crucifix. For many Protestants and unbelievers, the cross is a problem or at least a puzzle. But for us, it is the ultimate sign of God’s love.

March 7, 2012 - Satan is real. Evil is real. Christ frees us from both. Catechumens and those who’ll be received into the Church at Easter are a blessing and an inspiration to the rest of us. They remind us that following Christ takes courage and conviction.

Feb. 29, 2012 - The transfiguration of Jesus reveals the glory that lies hidden in his humanity. It not only gives us a foretaste of future glory and fortifies us for our Lenten journey, it also shows us the path we must take in order to reach heaven.

Feb. 15, 2012 - The loss of a consciousness of sin results in a superficial spirituality that makes it hard to get the most out of Mass.  Lent offers a new chance to put our spiritual house in order. If you've been dragging around some nagging sins and haven't been to confession in awhile, now is a great time to put those sins behind you, receive forgiveness and renew your relationship with God. Resolving to make confession a regular part of your life is a great way to begin Lent.

Feb. 8, 2012 - The worst kind of suffering isn’t physical, but spiritual and emotional; it’s being cut off from God and other people. The sacraments of healing—confession and anointing of the sick—address the problem of human suffering at its root.

Feb. 1, 2012 - Many of those who enjoy the basic necessities of life still suffer from a lack of purpose or a sense of meaning in their lives. The greatest deprivation of all is the lack of love and the loss of faith. The Gospel message is one of great hope. It’s up to us to share it.  Woe to us if we don’t!

Jan. 25, 2012 - We live in an age where questioning authority is common. A healthy skepticism of those in power is often wise. But sometimes trusting authority is a good thing, even a virtue. Christ’s words, which resound in the Church, are our compass in life. We can trust them because they originate in God and have stood the test of time.

Jan. 18, 2012 - The good news isn’t 'good news' until we’ve come to terms with the 'bad news'—that we’re sinners in need of God’s mercy. But the good news really is good news because it is the assurance that anyone, no matter how bad they are what they’ve done, can change, repent, turn to God, find forgiveness, start over and begin to experience the divine life.

Jan. 11, 2012 - God speaks to us whenever we read the Scriptures. He speaks to us especially at Mass when the word of God is proclaimed. If you have trouble discerning what God is saying to you, ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart so that you can hear what you need to hear.  The Lord has something he wants to say to you. Are you listening?

Jan. 4, 2012 - Like the star of Bethlehem the Church, that is to say, you and me, shows the way to Christ.

Dec. 28, 2011 - Mary is not only the mother of Jesus and Mother of God, she is our Mother too in the order of grace. The Son of God became man to save us from the bondage of sin in order to free us to live not as slaves to the world, but as children of God. As a New Year begins, let us resolve to think and act as true children of God with Mary as our Mother. 

Dec. 28, 2011 - Mary is not only the mother of Jesus and Mother of God, she is our Mother too in the order of grace. The Son of God became man to save us from the bondage of sin in order to free us to live not as slaves to the world, but as children of God. As a New Year begins, let us resolve to think and act as true children of God with Mary as our Mother. 

Dec. 21, 2011 - The solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord is one of most important feasts of the year, second only to Easter.

Dec. 14, 2011 - Mary is the model disciple and archetype of the Church. Her dialogue with Gabriel is echoed in the liturgy when the priest addresses us with words reminiscent of the angelic greeting: 'The Lord be with you!' Contained in these simple words is a divine calling, which is heard at crucial moments in the Mass.

Dec. 7, 2011  - John the Baptist, St. Paul and the Virgin Mary were chosen by God, each in their own special way, to bear witness to Christ. We too are called to bring the light of Christ to a world slowly slipping into darkness. One way we do that is through joy expressed in worship. On Gaudete Sunday we joyfully anticipate Christmas as we “await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ” (Embolism after the Lord’s Prayer).

Nov. 30, 2011 -  Some people have an aversion to the Old Testament because they think it depicts a god who is radically different from the God of the New Testament. Not so. The Church has always opposed the idea of rejecting the Old Testament under the pretext of being superseded by the new.  The Old Testament is full of allusions to Christ. Like John the Baptist, it points to Christ who brings light and hope to a troubled world.

Nov. 23, 2011 - This year, Advent is especially meaningful because the new translation of the Roman Missal goes into effect starting this Sunday.  The wait is over. The time for renewal has come. It’s important to understand that the liturgy is not a human invention but comes to us from Christ.

Nov. 16, 2011 - The readings this week are a sober reminder that one day each of us will have to give an account of our lives. While it’s true that we are saved by Christ’s utterly free gift of grace, we will be judged by what we did with that gift.

Nov. 9, 2011 - We are custodians of charity. In the Eucharist, the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us (Rom 5:5). The divine life which we receive in the sacraments is not something we can keep to ourselves or bury away. We have to share it, otherwise it’ll shrivel up and die.

Nov. 2, 2011 - The point of this week’s readings is that we must be ready for the Lord by building up our spiritual 'bank account.'  The 'oil' in this week’s Gospel symbolizes those things that will ultimately count at the end of life: love and mercy and the qualities that Jesus praises in the Sermon on the Mount. Being merciful for a day is one thing, for example, being merciful every day for a whole lifetime is another.  Only at the end will our wisdom or folly, our goodness or wickedness, be disclosed.

Oct. 26, 2011 - True religious reform begins with right worship. In a few weeks the words of the Mass will be different as the new translation of the Roman Missal goes into effect on Nov. 27. This is a wonderful opportunity for spiritual renewal for the whole Church, clergy and laity alike. Pray for your priests who are chiefly responsible for implementing the new translation. May they do so in a true spirit of humility and service. And may we, the laity, receive it in that same spirit.

Oct. 19, 2011 - Compassion and kindness aren’t just private matters; they are values that should be reflected in our local communities, the state and the nation.  A nation’s real net worth isn’t determined by its GDP or the stock market, but by how it treats the weakest and most defenseless members of society.  A good society (or a good government) is one that makes it easy for people to be good. Freedom of religion means the freedom to serve God, and the freedom to serve God means the freedom to serve orphans and widows, aliens and strangers, the sick and the poor without interference from the state.

Oct. 12, 2011 - This week's readings are both comforting and cautionary. A truly just government is one that itself is governed by high moral principles. That doesn't mean that the state should be a theocracy.

Oct. 5, 2011 - As we saw in last week’s readings, the vineyard was a familiar symbol of the people of God.  Another image familiar to Israel, one that instilled great hope, was that of the messianic banquet, which represented God’s final victory over evil and death.

Sept. 28, 2011 - In order to be fruitful we have to cultivate the divine life in us by staying connected to the vine where we receive constant nourishment from Christ.

September 21, 2011 - Oscar Wilde once said, 'Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.'  The good thief on the cross next to Jesus was saved because he accepted responsibility for his crimes and humbly repented of his sins. A whole lifetime of wrongdoing did not prevent him from going to heaven. This week’s readings, however, also serve as a warning: a whole lifetime of good deeds can count for nothing if, in the end, one refuses to honor God and is no longer willing to 'bend the knee' at the name of Jesus.

Sept. 14, 2011 - Human beings are quick to criticize and eager to condemn. Fortunately for us, God isn’t. He is infinitely generous in mercy. Part of being a Christian means learning how to “be merciful even as your Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36). We’re not naturally inclined to forgive those who hurt us, or be patient with those who annoy us, or be kind to those who infuriate us. But knowing how merciful God is helps me to be patient with others and even with myself. Most importantly, God gives us his own divine life in the sacraments so that what we can’t do on our own, we can do with him.

Sept. 7, 2011 - A house divided cannot stand.  Many empires have tried to destroy the Jews, but have failed. The Jews have held together because of their faith in God, true moral standards and religious devotion. The same applies to us as Catholics. The integrity of the Church depends on our willingness to forgive, and to seek forgiveness when we’ve done something wrong. The message of forgiveness is one the world needs now more than ever.

Aug. 24, 2011 - The transformation of our lives began in baptism, was strengthened in confirmation and continues in the Eucharist, and the Eucharist is inseparable from the cross. The cross is not just an emblem of our salvation, it is an invitation—an invitation to follow Christ and actively participate in his work of transforming the world.

Aug. 17, 2011 - Empires come and go, but the kingdom of God endures forever. The “seed and beginning” of that kingdom is the Catholic Church, which was entrusted to Peter and his successors.  For 2,000 years the Church has fought against “the gates of hell” to free those imprisoned by sin. While other churches have split into thousands of different groups, the Catholic Church remains united, standing firm against evil because she is built on the rock of St. Peter who “guarantees communion with Christ.”

Aug. 10, 2011 - The Catholic Church is the only truly universal church. Like the good mother that she is, the Church gathers into her arms all races and nations. Your own parish may be quite homogeneous ethnically, but it’s only a tiny part of the Catholic Church. Yet even at the local level, the Church is Catholic because it welcomes all who, like the Canaanite woman in this week’s Gospel, 'love God, keep the commandments and hold fast to the covenant.'

Aug. 3, 2011 - Conscience is not a feeling or an opinion; it’s the voice of God speaking in our heart. Conscience tells us what we ought to do whether we want to or not. This week’s readings encourage us to trust God and heed his voice even when, like Elijah and Peter, we’re afraid.

July 26, 2011 - We live in a highly secularized society that can sometimes be a pretty desolate and decadent place. And yet in the midst of such spiritual desolation, the Lord feeds us with supernatural food every time we attend Mass.

July 19, 2011 - This week’s readings remind us that the truly wise person looks to God for truth and guidance.  A wise leader is not just effective, he or she is good. And a good leader is not just someone who does things right; a good leader does the right things right. In this day and age, the most precious thing we can give our children is the knowledge of Christ and the ability to distinguish right from wrong.

July 13, 2011 - Though our sins make us worthy of condemnation, God hates nothing that he has made. In his love and mercy, God is more than willing to forgive us and restore us to his friendship when we have sinned, so long as are truly sorry and willing to repent.

July 6, 2011 - Many people think that the Bible is irrelevant to life in the modern world. While it’s true that the Bible is old, it can still speak to people today if they’re willing to listen.

June 29, 2011 - One of Christ’s most distinctive traits was his humility. Pride made Adam fall. But when Christ humbled himself by becoming man, he restored man’s dignity and raised him up to heaven.

June 21, 2011 - The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is one of two major feasts that focus on the Eucharist, the other being Holy Thursday. Holy Thursday commemorates the institution of the Eucharist. Corpus Christi follows Easter, the Ascension and Pentecost and is thus associated with the risen and ascended Lord who leads his Church to heaven.

June 15, 2011 - When we were baptized “in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” we entered into the innermost life of God. Every time we celebrate the Mass, the divine life in us is renewed. The doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity is not a puzzle to be solved, but a relationship to be lived.

June 8, 2011 - The Ascension of Jesus marks the beginning of a new chapter in salvation history. Through the Church, which is his body, Christ is present to the world in new way.