Today, the feast of the Ascension, is a feast in disguise. If I asked what this feast was about, I think most of you would say, “It’s about Jesus returning to his Father in heaven.” Or, “It’s about Jesus going up into the clouds and leaving Earth until he comes again.” These aren’t wrong answers,…
On this most blessed day of our Church calendar, as we ponder the mystery of the Christ, the astonishing news of a tortured dead man apparently resurrected, we must face the question every Christian faces at some point in their lives. What do we believe? What do you believe? Read MORE.
In 1966 the band Buffalo Springfield wrote a protest song called For WhatIt’s Worth. Accompanying an iconic guitar riff, Stephen Stills delivers thisclassic opening line: “There’s something happening here, what it is ain’texactly clear…” So full confession, any time I read the 14th chapter ofJohn’s gospel, these lyrics run through my mind! Jesus seems to…
A couple of weeks ago, I decided to move a TV from one room of my house to another. There were cable outlets in both rooms, so I just unplugged the TV from one room, lugged the TV to the other room and plugged in the cable from that room. What could go wrong?! Of…
In 2005, I had the privilege of visiting the Jordan River in the land of Palestine, the site of today’s reading. The Jordan is not a wide river like the Mississippi – you can’t take boats on it. It’s perhaps better described as a stream or a creek, maybe 50 feet wide at most. For…
I don’t know if you saw it in the news, but an elderly woman in France recently had a small painting assessed that had been hanging on the wall between her kitchen and living room. It had been in the family for years and she thought it was a nice icon. It turns out that…
Sunday, Oct. 27th, Homily As many of you know, especially if you donated cookies a couple of weeks ago, I was in the prison last weekend for the semi-annual Kairos retreat. We reached over a hundred men across the prison during the 4 days, and every single one of them was deeply affected. MORE
As we enter the long, hot summer of Ordinary Time, it seems only fitting that we reflect on this passage from Luke’s gospel. This is a pivotal moment in Jesus’ ministry more
I feel like I haven’t been up here at the ambo for quite some time. It’s actually true. I’ve been out of town for much of May, and it’s great to be back. One of the real highlights of traveling, especially to other countries, is to witness the way ordinary people live “over there”. more