“At Christmas, the question is this: “Do I allow myself to be loved by God? Do I abandon myself to his love that comes to save me?” So great a gift deserves immense...
Homily: Feast of the Epiphany Year B Reading 1: What is the purpose of light? It gives clarity and dispels the darkness around us. It enables us to see when we travel....
“The grace of God has appeared. Grace is a synonym of beauty. Tonight, in the beauty of God’s love, we also discover our own beauty, for we are beloved of God. For better or...
FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY: GOSPEL When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is the newborn king of...
“Saint Paul tells us: “The grace of God has appeared”. The grace of God, “bringing salvation to all” (Tit 2:11), has shone on our world this night. But what is this grace? It is...
“A charming legend relates that at the birth of Jesus the shepherds hurried to the stable with different gifts. Each brought what he had; some brought the fruits of their labour, others some...
As Mary rode the donkey, she would look at Joseph. She knew he loved her and she loved him. She heard his comforting words as they moved forward toward their destination and the...
“And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,...
Mary and Joseph are on the road to Bethlehem. It Is about ninety miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem. As they traveled south along the flatlands of the Jordan River, then west over the...
"Act in a way that all those who come in contact with you will go away joyful. Sow happiness about you because you have received much from God." (St Faustina)Are we a joyful...
"We who are Christians have a further cause for joy: like Jesus, we know that we are loved by God our Father. This love transforms our lives and fills us with joy. It...
Christmas Novena Prayers Opening Prayer O Lord, Word of God, You, whose glory is complete, came to us in perfect humility as a child in the womb. Your love for us and humility...
"The closer the Lord is to us, the more joy we feel; the farther away he is, the more sadness we feel." (Pope Francis)Why is that so true? When our relationship with Jesus...
"Joy doesn't simply happen to us. We must choose joy and keep choosing it every day." (Henri Nouwen)How can we choose joy, when there is so much negativity all around us? Paul tells...
"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, thought the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, thought there are no sheep in the...
"The Lord is coming, always coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the...
" To predispose our mind to welcome the Lord who, as we say in the Creed, one day will come to judge the living and the dead, we must learn to recognize min...
Homily: Third Sunday of Advent Year B Reading 1: The call of the first Sunday of Advent was: Be watchful! Be alert! For the Lord is coming in the present moment in...
"The season of Advent is like a springtime in nature, when everything is renewed and so is fresh and healthy. Advent is also meant to do this to us--to refresh us and make...
Third Sunday of Advent: Gospel BA man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the...
"Advent, this powerful liturgical season that we (have) begun, invites us to pause in silence to understand a presence. It is an invitation to understand that the individual events of the day are...
"The first thing we often discover in solitude is our own restlessness, our drivenness, and compulsiveness, our urge to act quickly, to make an impact, and to have influence; and often we find...
"Advent is a journey towards Bethlehem. May we let ourselves be drawn by the light of God mad man.' (Pope Francis"This journey is a spiritual one. It requires a conscious decision not to...
"It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope>" (Pope Benedict XVI)The hope of the prophetic word of the...
Homily: Second Sunday of Advent Year B Reading 1: Isaiah the prophet speaks to those in exile in Babylon and those who were left in Jerusalem and surrounding areas. God’s words through...
"The Lord is coming, always coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the...
Second Sunday of Advent: Gospel BThe beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God. · From the beginning Mark summarizes his whole gospel with these titles: Jesus is the “Christ” (Messiah)...
"Christmas isn't just a temporal celebration or the memory of a beautiful (event); Christmas is more...Christmas is an encounter!"(Pope Fraancis)It is an encounter with the Savior of the world, Jesus, Our Lord! Jesus...
"Are we ready to receive Him? Before the birth of Jesus, his parents asked for a simple dwelling place, but there was none. If Mary and Joseph were looking for a home for...
Homily First Sunday of Advent Year B Reading 1: The reading begins with acknowledging God as Our Father and Redeemer. It ends with once more with recognizing God as Father and Creator....
“Remember the past with gratitude. Live the present with Enthusiasm. Look forward to the future with confidence.”- St. John Paul II A simple admonition from a saint, but maybe hard to live by...
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT: GOSPEL YEAR BJesus said to his disciples “Be watchful! Be alert! During Jesus’ time a Roman soldier could face execution if he fell asleep during guard duty and allowed the...
SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1"To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us -- and He has given...
“ SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1The proper order is first to render thanks to God, then to confess our sinfulness, and repent of it, then to submit our...
In the funeral liturgy one of the prayers that is said ends this way. "Merciful Lord, turn towards us and listen to our prayers: open the gates of paradise to your servant and...
“We are in movement along the path. When asked where we are heading, we say, ‘Towards heaven!’ ‘So what’s heaven?’ some ask. There we begin to be unsure in our response. We...
Homily Feast of Christ the King Year A
By spiritaflame 11:40 AMHomily: Feast of Christ the King Reading 1: The focus of the first reading is God is a Shepherd and a Judge. The prophet Ezekiel realizes that the people of his day,...
Our reflection on heaven continues. We read in the Book of Revelations: “I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them...
Feast of Christ the King: Gospel Reflections AJesus said: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all...
