(For the audio version of this blog, please visit: ) This Sunday, as we read the beatitudes for the umpteenth time, let’s focus on those in the crowd surrounding Jesus whom he blessed for taking courageous action. (Matthew 5:1-12a) We…
(For the audio version of this blog, please visit: ) Jesus came to wake humanity out of sin’s darkness and meet a new day. This wake-up call has echoed through the centuries, starting with Christ’s beckoning his first disciples, which…
(For the audio version of this blog, please visit: ) Oversized clothing was once a wise investment for parents of large families. Each child could grow into these clothes then “hand them down” to the next child. This wisdom is…
(For the audio version of this blog, please visit: ) This Sunday we get three perspectives on the baptism that made ours possible. Isaiah foresees it (Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7), Peter recalls it (Acts 10:34-38), and Matthew’s gospel makes us witnesses…
(For the audio version of this blog, please visit: ) Here’s an Epiphany: Herod the Great’s temple renovation project was irrelevant. Herod hoped the temple he was renovating would make him the focus of worship among the Jewish people. The…
(For the audio version of this blog, please visit: ) The Book of Sirach (Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14) offers a good set of instructions for maintaining a holy and whole family: Honoring your father helps save you from your sins and…
(For the audio version of this blog, please visit: ) The human ego has threatened the lives of many famous families throughout history—including the holy one our faith venerates. Imagine you’re Joseph. You discover you didn’t sire the baby your…
(For the audio version of this blog, please visit: ) Many nonbelievers consider themselves free. But in this modern world of war and division, freedom without faith quickly descends into chaos. That’s why St. John Paul II taught that only…
(For the audio version of this blog, please visit: ) “The Sound of Music” was re-released in theaters this year, 60 years after its debut, enabling new audiences to experience this classic Rodgers & Hammerstein musical on the big screen.…
(For the audio version of this blog, please visit: ) This Sunday’s gospel reading illustrates the dangers of entropy. A physics professor will tell you that the higher the entropy, the lower the energy available to do work—and the lower…