The presence of Jesus in person in his home town synagogue was electric. St. Luke’s account of what happened when Jesus did the reading and commented upon it conveys the powerful presence Jesus had. He is self-assured, deliberate; he is strong and clear; and his words about the scripture being...
At the moment of his conception in the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit, the Son of God began to exist as the man Jesus. You could say that, at that moment, God the Father said, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” At the moment...
Lead, Kindly Light, amidst th’encircling gloom, lead thou me on! The night is dark, and I am far from home, lead thou me on! Keep thou my feet: I do not ask to see the distant scene; one step enough for me. This first verse from the famous poem of...
In his or her own way, each of the three members of the Holy Family put God before each other. They did not make God just one priority among others but subjected their entire lives to God’s will. The Holy Family is holy precisely because it arose from unreserved obedience...
You can’t think of Christmas without thinking of home. We have all experienced at different times in our lives the need just to go home, to stay at home. It’s hard really to describe what home is. The word itself conjures up all sorts of feelings and certainties, all manner...
As you go a-visiting over the festive season you will certainly be bringing with you a gift to your loved ones and friends. Whatever gift you bring, your main gift will be yourself, your presence, your company, your love. In listening to the Gospel of the visitation of Mary to...
The readings of this Sunday are the last ones of Advent which focus mainly on the second coming of Jesus at the end of time. They are bursting with joy and anticipation. In the first reading, Israel is invited to sing and shout for joy, to exult with all her...
Our first two readings proclaim how much God wants our good. The first is like an ode to joy, God being the one who literally moves mountains and valleys and commands the trees of the forest to ensure that Israel’s return from exile will be smooth and jubilant. St. Paul...
“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.” This response to today’s psalm sums up what Advent is all about. If Advent means the coming of the Lord, lifting up my soul to him means going out to meet him. To lift up my soul means to offer it...
At one point in the Gospel of John, Jesus says that he has not spoken on his own authority but has spoken only what the Father told him to say. In the section from John which we have just heard, Jesus says that he was born for one thing: to...
