Reflections

Today (John 7:40-53) we see very mixed responses to Jesus’ message.  Some people grumble that the Messiah is supposed to come from Bethlehem, yet this Jesus is speaking to us in Galilee.  Is he, then, just a prophet?  Or is he a con man, a deceiver?  The Pharisees think that anyone gullible enough to believe […]

Today’s Old Testament reading (Wisdom 2:1, 12-22) is a passage that describes life as seen by the godless.  We erroneously feel that if we are good and virtuous, people will be inspired to follow and imitate our good example. Experience tells us that the opposite frequently is true.   The narrative applies perfectly to Jesus

Solemnity, March 19, 2026 Several years ago, I came across the following reflection on St. Joseph by Fr. Francis Peffley.  Each section is based on the six letters in Joseph’s name: Joseph the Just Man St. John Paul II, in his apostolic exhortation “The Guardian of the Redeemer,” calls Joseph the just man. What does that mean?

As I approach today’s Gospel reading (John 5:17-30), I am reminded of the story about a man sitting beside a campfire while he roasts some kind of bird over the fire with eager anticipation.  About this time, a forest ranger comes along and asks the camper what he is preparing for dinner.  The camper replies

In today’s Gospel (John 5:1-16), we have a man with some unknown illness hoping to get into the “Bethesda” pool near the Sheep Gate into the city of Jerusalem.  This guy wasn’t just looking for a nice dip in the pool, though.  This pool was a center for healing.  Pilgrims to the pool waited for

As strange as it may seem, today’s readings remind us that Lent, while a season of prayer, penance, and almsgiving, also is a season that is filled with joy. Today, Isaiah speaks of a coming Utopia, a totally new world full of joy and gladness (Isaiah 65:17-21). It is a world without pain or sadness,

Today is the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Laetare Sunday, named after the entrance antiphon for today: Laetare Jerusalem et conventum facite omnes qui diligitis eam; gaudete cum laetitia, qui in tristitia fuistis, ut exsultetis et satiemini ab uberibus consolationis vestrae. Psalm: Laetatus sum in his quae dicta sunt mihi: in domum Domini ibimus. Rejoice, Jerusalem,

We have arrived at the end of the third week in Lent.  Tomorrow is Laetare Sunday.  As I prepare to celebrate the passion of Christ, I pray all of God’s people will know His mercy and express their love for the Lord in the weeks ahead.  It is so easy to grow weary and discouraged

We are now about halfway through our Lenten journey. In today’s scripture readings, there are three lines, one from each reading, that speak to me in a special way. In the first reading, from the prophet Hosea (Hosea 14:2-10), we hear the haunting refrain in which God calls to the people of Israel, “Return, O

When I was a young boy, one of my friends had a transistor radio (remember transistor radios?). He liked to bring it to school so the rest of us boys would be jealous that he had one and we did not.  One lunchtime, we were on the playground eating our bag lunches when he turned