Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord. This brings the season of Christmas to an end. Today’s celebration marks the transition from the liturgical season of Christmas into Ordinary Time. Until yesterday, we celebrated an infant Jesus; from today forward, we will celebrate an adult Jesus. The Baptism of Our Lord…

Today we begin the season of Advent. The word “Advent” means “coming.” During Advent, we celebrate and recall the coming of the Lord at Bethlehem two thousand years ago. The season also invites us to focus on His Second Coming at the End of the World, and His coming to us at the time of…

This week is the thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time. As we near the end of the Church’s liturgical year, the readings become more eschatological—relating to the end of times or the final coming of the Lord. The main theme of today’s readings is the reality of life after death and the relationship between our lives…

This is the thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time. The underlying theme of today’s readings is the benevolent and forgiving Mercy of God for sinners and the response of repentance and conversion expected from us. We sin, yet God does not treat us as outcastes; His mercy calls us to a sincere repentance, a change of heart…

This is the thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The theme for this Sunday’s reading is humility. Humility must be the hallmark of our prayers and of Christian life. God hears the cry of the humble. However, the central focus of the readings, especially the Gospel reading, is not only on prayer, but also on pride, humility,…

We are celebrating World Mission Sunday this week. World Mission Sunday reminds us that we are a missionary people. Today, on Mission Sunday, we recommit ourselves to our common vocation, through Baptism, to be missionaries, through prayer, participation in the Eucharist, and by giving generously to the missionary activities of the Church. On this World…

We are now in the 28th week of Ordinary Time. The theme of this Sunday’s readings is gratitude. What is gratitude?  Gratitude is a virtue which is very much at the heart of our search for happiness in this world and in the next. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that God wants…

We are now in the 26th week of Ordinary Time. The readings today serve as a warning that the selfish and extravagant use of God’s blessings, such as wealth, without sharing them with the poor and the needy, is a serious sin. As God shares His life and His blessings with us we must share…

This week is the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The readings remind us that we need to be faithful and prudent stewards of God’s many gifts and blessings. We need to do everything possible to prepare for the coming of the Lord, the Day of Judgment, which no one knows when it will happen, but…

Vatican: No More Scattering of Cremation Ashes The Vatican published guidelines for Catholics who want to be cremated, saying their remains cannot be scattered, divvied up or kept at home but rather stored in a sacred, church-approved place. The new instructions were released just in time for Halloween and “All Souls Day” on Nov. 2,…