Theotokos
The moment I sat down to write this article is the moment it finally dawned on me that this Sunday marks the First Sunday of Advent. “How did it get here already?”, I ask myself, wondering how I could have lost track of time so completely. It’s easy to let [...]
Happy Anniversary!
Recently, on October 22, the Feast of St. John Paul II, 122 people gathered here for a party to celebrate the one-year anniversary of our Adoration Chapel of the Nativity. If I had to describe the evening in just a single word, I would choose “bounty.” The bounty of God’s [...]
Good Soil
One of the great privileges of my work is that so many of you generously share your lives and your stories with me. I also hear from you when you are hurting, when you are joyful, when you have concerns for our Church and its people, and, thankfully, when you [...]
Healthy Diet
I love this time of the year in our lectionary cycle. This is where the proverbial rubber meets the road, and we get some concrete instructions on how to follow Jesus. Let’s face it; being a true disciple is hard, especially when it’s often even hard to decipher what that [...]
Homecomings and Change
Because I choose to live in a place that’s 1,400 miles from my hometown, my vacations are most often homecomings. This year was no different, and the kids and I just recently returned from 9 days in the breathtaking mountains of Vermont, the Northeast Kingdom as those of us from [...]
Visible Joy
There is an ancient saying in the Eastern Church, “If you want to know if Jesus is really Risen, look around you at the faces at the Easter Vigil.” Year after year, I witness the truth of this simple statement. Every year, I look around as the darkness is driven [...]
Voice. Authority. Choice.
Voice. Authority. Choice. All of these are accepted general themes of this passage from Mark. We could choose any one of these and have plenty to unpack and talk about with one another. Of course, I have my own opinions about which is the dominant theme, but then again, that [...]
Don’t Miss Out!
This year the Fourth Sunday of Advent happens to fall on Christmas Eve. Because of this, the liturgical calendar challenges us a little bit. It asks just a little more from us. Some of us will attend Mass twice on December 24th! Does it matter if we only attend one [...]
First Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I’ve had to adjust my expectations over the years, because my life and the lives of my loved ones have changed tremendously. Some people we love are no longer with us, so we’ve added elements of remembrance to our celebrations. Some people have [...]
In His Presence
“I hope that this form of Adoration, with permanent exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, will continue into the future. Specifically, I hope that the fruit of this Congress results in the establishment of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in all parishes and Christian communities throughout the world.” St. John Paul II spoke [...]
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