Imagine yourself at a busy airport and, though in most airports one can never hear anything that is being announced, you hear your name. This happened to me once. In our own baptisms, we receive several things. Our name, freedom from Original Sin, entrance into the...

The gospel from Luke and the reading from John are about love, the love from God and our love for him. In the reading from John, we learn what it means for us to love God. We are told that we cannot love God without first receiving his love. We cannot love God without...

“Do not be afraid.” This phrase, or some close version of it, can be found in at least 147 times in both the Old and New Testament. Some Biblical scholars put the number even higher. These same words where uttered by Saint John Paul II the Great at the beginning of...

During these past weeks we may have heard and exchanged Christmas greetings - "Merry Christmas or Happy Christmas" so many times. Now that Christmas is over, we no longer use the same greetings. Certainly for many people such greetings are just empty expressions or...

In today’s gospel, Andrew and John, two of the disciples get to know Jesus. We see them begin to follow him. Simon Peter is called by way of his brother Andrew. Simon Peter not only becomes a follower, but eventually a leader in the church. In this interaction, Jesus...

In today's gospel Luke narrates how the mother of Jesus, Mary and the shepherds show gratitude to God each in their own different way for the same gift - for sending Jesus to earth as our Savior. But Mary's gratitude to God perhaps is the most effective form of...

Today, Luke tells us of Anna whose orientation toward the worship of God is the necessity of her life, her fresh air. Anna, quite clearly, has heeded that the world and its temptation are passing away. During this Octave of Christmas, let us take our cue from Anna....

John starts his gospel (Chapter 1) with the words “In the beginning.” His first letter also begins with similar words today – “What was from the beginning.” And the reading today from Chapter 20 is similar in tone, in that the holy women (where were the men??) visited...

Here is a story. In a small village there was a tradition - if somebody finds anything that belongs to another, the person must go to the village square and loudly shout ten times: I have found this thing. If no one claims even after ten shouts then it would belong to...

For What? For Whom? Notice in the first reading of Samuel; in response to David’s wanting to build the Lord a proper dwelling, the Lord reminds David of their personal relationship; the numerous times and incidents when the Lord has been present to David and what the...