Reflections

The farewell words of Jesus and Paul in today’s readings (John 17:11‑19; Acts 20:28‑38) are wonderful.  Jesus is addressing his Father, and Paul is saying goodbye to the priests of Ephesus.  It is moving to listen to Jesus pray for us.  It is powerful, almost shocking, that he asks his Father that we might be […]

“But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem.” Like Jesus, the master he knew in the Spirit but not in the flesh, Paul takes leave of his friends to whom he has selflessly preached the kingdom of God, and heads for a dark and unknown future (Acts 20:17-27). “What will happen to

As we approach the feast of Pentecost this coming Sunday, our readings lead us to reflect on how the Spirit intervenes in gathering the Church. In today’s Gospel (John 16:29-33), Jesus predicts that the disciples will fall apart under pressure and abandon Him, despite their very vocal professions of faith right now. Jesus tells them

Most of the World celebrates the Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus to heaven exactly 40 days after the resurrection of Christ on Easter (remember the importance of the number 40 in biblical writing?).  If you count the days after Easter, you will discover the 40th day is always a Thursday.  So historically the Solemnity of

The gospel passage for today (John 16:23-28) comes as Jesus is preparing the disciples for what was to come:  his death, burial, and resurrection.  This passage, like every verse in the Bible, is timeless. Jesus is not only talking to his disciples, at that time and place; He also is talking to us, in this

“Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.” John 16:20 In today’s gospel passage (John 16:20-23), Jesus informs His Apostles that sorrow and grief will be a part of their lives.  This is a very sober but realistic statement on

(Pope May 8, 2025 to the present) During the conclave that followed the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was chosen the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church on May 8, 2025. Upon his election, he took the name Pope Leo XIV.  The following biography of Pope Leo XIV

(Pope March 13, 2013 to April 21, 2025) Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born December 17, 1936, the son of Italian immigrants to Argentina. After studying to become a chemical technician, he worked briefly in the food-processing industry but felt called to the church. When he was about 21 years old, he suffered a severe bout

(Pope April 19, 2005 to February 28, 2013) Joseph Alois Ratzinger was born April 16, 1927 at Marktl am In, Germany.  His father was a policeman and his mother a hotel cook. The youngest of three children, Ratzinger was six years old when the Nazis took power in Germany in 1933.  In 1941, peer pressure