Back in 1995 while still going to school in Chicago, I spent a weekend at a parish on the near West Side of Chicago. It was in a very bad neighborhood, not far from The Stadium, where the Bulls and Black Hawks play. It is also near the huge abandoned...
“He came, but not in splendor bright. Not as a monarch, but as a child…” These are some of the lyrics from the Advent hymn “Creator of the Stars at Night.” These words draw up some of the sentimental feelings associated with Christ’s birth and we may be tempted to...
The Third Sunday of Advent is also know as Gaudete (“Rejoice”) Sunday. The word Gaudete is the first word in today’s Entrance Antiphon that was used regularly as part of the liturgy back in the day. We light the rose candle today and sometimes priests will wear rose colored vestments...
New Year’s Eve Mass, December 31, 7:00 p.m. New Year’s Day, January 1, 9:00 a.m.
There is a saying in Christian Theology in describing the mystery of God as, “the already” and “the not yet.” In many ways we have already encountered God in certain ways and not yet in other, deeper ways. As I was saying last week in the homily about Advent, in...
Happy New Year! That is, happy new liturgical year. We begin another new year and another start to our Advent Season. For too many, Advent is a countdown to Christmas, but really Advent is a season unto itself. In many ways most our lives are operating in an Advent mood,...
The Kingdom of God is a space. It exists in every home where parents and children love each other. It exists in every region and country that cares for its weak and vulnerable. It exists in every parish that reaches out to the needy. The Kingdom of God is a...
As we move closer and closer to the end of the liturgical year (next weekend “Feast of Christ the King”), we will be hearing readings that deal with the end times or Eschatology (the study of the end times). We will hear some pretty dire warnings, threats and predictions. While...
“Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets.” Jesus uses strong words to express his feelings and warnings about the hypocritical leaders of his day, specifically some of the...
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” These words spoken by Jesus are often overlooked or conveniently ignored in so many ways in our day and age. What is continually embarrassing, it that it is often those who most strongly profess their Christianity are sometimes the worst offenders. How many...