2026

The Book of Sirach (sometimes called “Ecclesiasticus”), from which our First Reading today is taken, was originally among the Hebrew ethical teachings and dates from approximately 200 to 175 BC.  Sirach is among the “Wisdom” books in the Bible and is not included in many Protestant Bibles.  It is attributed to the Jewish Scribe Ben

(Part Four) Can you imagine a world without abortion? In some ways it is easy, just no more abortion. But think about it all the way through. What does it mean for the world? What might it mean for you? Abortion is the most devastating and contentious social issue in modern history. With over 40

(Part Three) For the past two days, I have expounded on how I have formed my own opinions about respecting those babies who might be killed in an abortion.  I have tried to explain why an unborn child is indeed “human” and has human rights, including the right to life.  Today I would like to

(Part Two) Yesterday I presented the results of a recent Pew Research Center poll about the attitudes of U.S. Catholics on abortion rights.  The results should be disappointing to all of us.  The results illustrate the current state of catechesis in our Church that many U.S. Catholics choose to follow the secular crowd rather than

(Part One) After the 2022 United States Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, that overturned the deeply flawed 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, where do U.S. Catholics stand in this debate?  The Catholic Church always has been one of the foremost opponents of abortion, teaching that human life is sacred from

Feast Day September 8th  The birthdates of great men and women are remembered for posterity. The presidents of the United States are commemorated near the February birthday of George Washington. Many nations celebrate their birthday on the date they gained their independence. The Church celebrates its birthday, so to speak, on the Feast of Pentecost.

As we cheer on workers and their work this Labor Day, shouldn’t Christians be the loudest cheerleaders of all? After all, the Bible unequivocally affirms that work was designed by God; that it is intrinsically “good”; that all kinds of work — from the simplest to the most complex, from the highest paying to the

Today’s first reading (1 Corinthians 4:6-15) continues yesterday’s passage. Paul has been describing himself and Apollos as stewards or managers of God’s message. He argues that the focus should be totally on the message rather than on the messengers. The Corinthians should not be taking sides and pitting one messenger against the other, accepting one

Today’s gospel (Luke 5:33-39) refers to problems associated with change.  Jesus uses parables to teach about these problems, though his teaching is somewhat enigmatic.  First, tearing a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one does seem rather silly.  Other gospel writers record a slightly different parable, referring instead to a narrower problem

PRAYER FOR VICTIMS OF FLOODING Compassionate God, source of all comfort, we pray for the people whose lives have been devastated by rain and flood.  Bring them comfort, we pray. Most merciful and compassionate God, giver of life and love, hear our prayers.  Let our cries come to You.  We weep with Your people affected