Reflections

Be warned! The lectionary cycle for daily Masses for Year I has begun! Year I is, of course, the first of two cycles of scripture readings for the Lectionary at weekday Masses. Year I begins with readings centered on Mark’s gospel.  So let’s quickly give an overview of Mark!  If I sound like I’m in […]

This week, the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church returns us to “Ordinary Time”, a time when we “count” the weeks, one after another.  Today, for instance, is the Monday of Week 1 in Ordinary Time.  But in English, “ordinary” has another meaning.  Using this meaning of “ordinary” might seem a bit peculiar, since the

Today we come to the end of the Christmas Season by celebrating the third great epiphany, the showing to the world God in human person.  The first ‘epiphany’ was at the birth of the child Jesus in the stable at Bethlehem, when he was visited by shepherds representing the poor, the marginalized and the sinful

It might appear that those who offer their services to voluntary organizations, religious life, or Non-Governmental Organizations do so with altruistic motives.  But today’s readings (1 John 5:14‑21 and John 3:22-30) are a warning that the devil is smart and subtle and is always willing to corrupt our good deeds.  He loves to tempt people

Here we are at the beginning of a new year, moving from the Christmas season to Ordinary Time. I admit that I love the Christmas season, perhaps because it seems so overlooked in our culture in which the “Christmas season” begins on Thanksgiving and ends on Christmas night. So I’m a little sad as we

Today’s gospel passage (Luke 4:14-22) portrays Jesus stepping out into his mission, his public life, defining that mission using the words from Isaiah.  All the events that follow, all his preaching, all his miracles and his eventual passion, death and resurrection, represent a living out of what he proclaims in the synagogue this day. However,

“If we love one another, God dwells in us,and His love is brought to perfection in us.”1 John 4:12 In today’s readings, Jesus has just fed the five thousand men with the five loaves and two fish.  He has performed a great miracle before the eyes of His disciples and through their hands.  Yet “their

What is happening in the world today reminds me of a case study in behavior modification.  Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author who wrote, The Power of Habit—Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business.  He tells the story of a US Army major in the town of Kufa, in Iraq, who decided

Remember how there was only a reduced Fourth Week of Advent this liturgical year?  Well, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has given us another twist this year. USCCB has moved Epiphany from the traditional January 6th to January 5th so Epiphany would fall on a Sunday.  I presented my Daily Reflection for Epiphany yesterday.  In

Today’s Solemnity of The Epiphany of the Lord (traditionally celebrated January 6) takes me back 51 years, back to when I was a young scientist embarking on a career in scientific diplomacy.   While working in Germany, I had the opportunity to travel to its capital (at that time), Cologne (Köln).   There, on the