Author name: Essjay Peatoo

When Paul wrote his First Letter to Timothy, the early Church was still developing the leadership and pastoral structures with which we are now familiar. Paul today has advice for “bishops” and “deacons” and lays down the criteria on which they should be chosen (1 Timothy 3:1-13). The actual offices of ‘bishop’, ‘priest’ and ‘deacon,’ […]

September 15th  If you’ve been Catholic long enough, you surely have seen an image of the Virgin Mary with tears in her eyes and seven swords, or perhaps just one, piercing her heart. She is often dressed in black or navy blue and sometimes is holding the body of Jesus or her hands clasped tightly

September 14, 2025 Every year on the 14th of September we celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. While this feast focuses on the cross of Christ, it is not the same celebration that occurs on Good Friday when we enter into the Passion of the Lord and prayerfully participate in Jesus’ death.  While early

Starting this past Wednesday, our Gospel readings have been taken from Luke’s presentation of the “Sermon on the Plain”.  This sermon is similar to Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6-7).   Together these two sermons, along with Paul’s letters, help us have a better picture of Jesus’ teachings.   For many people, these passages

We begin today reading from Paul’s First Letter to Timothy (1 Timothy 1:1-2, 12-14). The two letters to Timothy and the letter to Titus are known as Paul’s Pastoral Letters because of their main subject matter.  Timothy was a native of Lystra (in modern Turkey). His father was Greek, while his mother was a Jewish

Today we have the final reading from Colossians (Colossians 3:12-17) and it is a continuation of yesterday’s reading. After warning against some negative behaviors, Paul makes beautiful statements about what the Colossian Christians should be. The Colossians are “God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved” and, because of that, they are to be clothed in “compassion,

Just before today’s first reading passage (Colossians 3:1-11), Paul had been warning the Colossians against false beliefs and practices. He tells them that their lives must not be governed by all kinds of rules and petty regulations which are merely “human commandments and doctrines: do not pick up this, do not eat that, do not

The self-improvement industry is going strong.   Books and blogs abound proclaiming to share secrets about how to manage our time for ultimate efficiency, how to eat a healthier diet, how to find the best formula for exercise, how to remove the clutter from our lives, how to lose weight, how to find a soul

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.

The first reading for today, taken from the book of Wisdom (Wisdom 9:13‑18), is simple and direct. We need God’s gift of Wisdom in order to know God’s ways and know how to make our path on earth straight. The second reading (Philemon 9-17) is a beautiful note from Paul, who is in prison with a