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...
Today’s Gospel from Mark, features someone by the name of Bartimaeus. Mark, uncharacteristically gives us a lot of information about who he is. He is blind and we are for some reason told who his father is, Timaeus. Further examination of the story, tells us that he is poor, since...
In the first reading from Isaiah he talks about the Lord being pleased to crush him in his infirmities. Yikes! Who in the world is he talking about and why would God be pleased to crush him in his infirmities? This reading from Isaiah is taken from his description of...