Articles for Advent
David wants to build something solid for God, something impressive and worthy—a beautiful temple. Yet God redirects him. Instead of receiving a grand project, David receives a promise—a future he cannot see, a legacy that will unfold slowly and quietly through generations. This moment speaks directly to the tensions in your own life. You…
Malachi speaks of a messenger who prepares the way, someone who will refine, purify, and turn hearts back toward one another. This is not abstract prophecy. It reaches into the real, complicated terrain of your own life. The refining Malachi describes often happens through situations that unsettle you, interrupt your expectations, or expose what…
Hannah enters the temple carrying the child she once feared she would never hold. There is no spectacle, no dramatic gesture. She simply offers Samuel to the Lord with the quiet strength of someone who has prayed, waited, and trusted when nothing seemed to change. Her gesture invites us to look honestly at our…
As we begin the final days of Advent, we will notice a thread throughout the coming week. Again and again, the readings reveal a God who chooses to work through hiddenness and humility. This is not only a feature of Christmas, but it is also the pattern of God’s action from the beginning. Over…
“Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to thy will!” Our Lady’s fiat (yes) to the Lord! Very fitting that the Annunciation account comes on a Marian Saturday during Advent. St. Maximilian Kolbe once said, “This time of ours is the era of the Immaculata, or,…
“Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.’” You would think Zechariah would have believed when he saw the Archangel Gabriel with his own eyes! But no. Still doubting God’s plan for him and his dear wife Elizabeth, he…
Today is my mother’s birthday! I will not say how old she is, but today in our immediate family, we celebrate the gift of life! She was adopted, and on the day my grandparents were bringing her home from old St. Anthony’s orphanage in Kansas City, my grandmother said to one of the sisters…
Today begins, as I like to call it, the Holy Week of Advent with the “O Antiphons.” Our first Antiphon is: “O Wisdom of our God Most High, guiding creation with power and love; come to teach us the path of knowledge!” In our gospel today, we hear the genealogy of Jesus. I love…
Jesus said to the Chief Priests and the Elders of the people… A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ The son said in reply, ‘I will not.’ But afterwards, he changed his mind and went. The man came to the other…
In today’s gospel, Jesus tells the Chief Priests and the Elders that he would let them know by the authority. He does all of his merciful love so that they would need to answer him, “where was John’s baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?” Jesus shows Divine Mercy to these…
Today the Church celebrates Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday. We rejoice because we are at the midway point of Advent not because we get presents soon, but that we get to commemorate the Lord’s nativity! Today would have also been the feast day of the great St. John of the Cross, the spiritual director of St.…
In today’s gospel passage, the disciples are beginning to realize who Jesus is, that he is the Messiah. And so they ask him about Elijah, who was supposed to come first. Jesus assures them that Elijah did come first, but that “they” did not recognize him and did with him whatever they pleased. Once…
I was a priest of the Archdiocese of Kingston in Jamaica for nearly eight years of my 10 years in Jamaica. Every year during the week after Pentecost, all of us who were serving as diocesan clergy in the archdiocese would go on our annual retreat at a retreat house in Mandeville, Jamaica. On…
Right in the middle of today’s gospel passage is one of the most puzzling statements that Jesus ever makes. Jesus says, “From the days of John the Baptist, the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent are taking it by force.” It is possible that Jesus is referring to the opposition that both…
Today’s gospel passage is very short, only three short verses (Mt 11:28-30); and it begins very comfortingly: “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” The next verse becomes a little bit more intense but still comforting: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,…
In today’s gospel passage, Jesus tells us the parable of the lost sheep. I am sure that all of us, when we hear this parable, identify with the lost sheep, and feel some comfort when the shepherd leaves all behind to go and find the lost sheep. I am sure we all have times…
Today we celebrate the patronal feast of Conception Abbey. Interestingly enough, the town in which the Abbey was founded was already named Conception after the Immaculate Conception even before the monks arrived. According to Wikipedia, there was a post office in the town named Conception from 1864, some nine years before the monks arrived.…
John the Baptist’s vocation was to “prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths” according to today’s gospel. His basic message was to “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He also told the people about someone who was coming. Someone who was so high in stature that John was…
We began this week of Advent as pilgrims launching into the story line of God revealing the Kingdom of God for all peoples. It’s a revelation that continues to take shape around the person of Jesus who chose twelve disciples and gave them a special mission. That mission was to extend the Spirit of…
Progress on any pilgrimage is measured not so much by the number of steps we take (even if counted!) as by what comes to us by sight and insight. This means that new and nourishing insights can come at any point along the pilgrimage if we’re open to that gift. Our Advent pilgrimage leading…
Does the Advent season have a split personality and a double purpose? Is Advent a time of constantly moving forward or is it a time of waiting? In other words, is there an emphasis on constant growth and moving deeper into the mystery of the Lord coming to us in history, mystery and grace?…
Have you ever picked up a hitchhiker? Have you ever been a hitchhiker? This was a common way to get around a good number of years ago, but today, hardly ever. Times have changed. What if our Advent pilgrimage called us to use our imagination such as traveling a road which allowed hitchhikers, and…
Videos of toddlers and cute puppy dogs at play never fail to get your attention. The Prophet Isaiah is riveting our attention today with images of innocence and impossible relationships. What is the message behind pairing up the wolf and the lamb, the leopard and the young goat, the calf and the lion, the…
Our Advent pilgrimage has begun and already from day one our readings begin to drop markers and themes pointing to our ultimate destination. Look closely and you’ll find the theme of “great expectations.” Our critical and cynical world seems to thrive on finding fault with everything and everyone who projects a personal hope or…
In sports and other areas of life getting a great start is essential for the outcome. Today we begin the season of Advent which of course begins the entire Liturgical Year, a nice occasion to wish someone a “Happy New Year” and leave them wondering what you meant! This beginning is quite different from…
Our bad tendency in the spiritual life is to want to do things on our own, separate from God, and we overemphasize our actions and our efforts. But, the problem is that we have focused so much on our action and human progress that we forgot the most basic aspect of our lives before…
Both Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous and observed all the commandments of the Lord blamelessly, yet when the angel appeared to Zechariah, he struggled to believe the news spoken to him, and was punished for his doubt. We think of punishment in different ways—as a type of penalty for negative behavior or speech, but…
Mary received the Archangel Gabriel’s message—she received her call that she would be the mother of the Savior of the world. And, what happens shortly after is that—Mary sets out in haste—quickly, with purpose and conviction to visit Elizabeth. Mary, now with child, could have had every legitimate excuse not to make the…
This week, we have reflected on the joy of God’s presence, revealed through His transforming work, His faithfulness across generations, His strength in trials, and His surprising ways. Today, we gather all these threads together in the readings, which show us the culmination of joy in the fulfillment of God’s promises. In the Song…
This week, we’ve journeyed through the joy of God’s presence, revealed in His transforming work, His faithfulness through history, His strength in trials, and His surprising interventions in unexpected places. Today’s readings bring us to the ultimate surprise: God’s presence comes to us not only through His promises but in the Word made flesh,…
Throughout this week, we’ve reflected on the joy of God’s presence: in His transforming work, His faithfulness through history, and His strength in our trials. Today, we see this joy breaking through in a surprising and profound way—God’s presence is often revealed through the utterly unexpected, challenging us to expand our faith and trust…
This week, we’ve been reflecting on the joy of God’s presence. First, we considered how God’s presence transforms curses into blessings and calls us to open our hearts in faith. Then, we marveled at His enduring presence in salvation history, working through generations to fulfill His promises in Christ. Today, our readings call us…
Building on yesterday’s reflection, we continue to explore the joy of God’s presence—a joy that is not fleeting but rooted in the unfolding of His eternal plan. Yesterday, we saw how God’s presence transformed a curse into a blessing in the prophecy of Balaam and invited us to open our hearts to His authority.…
Today’s readings draw us into the mystery of God’s presence—a presence that brings joy, not through human effort, but as a gift of grace to those who are open to receiving it. In Numbers, though summoned to curse Israel, Balaam is instead moved by the Spirit of God to proclaim blessing. His vision reveals…
Gaudete Sunday calls us to rejoice, a moment of lightness as we approach Christmas. Today’s readings are brimming with encouragement and hope, showing us how to live joyfully in the truth of God’s presence and His work in our lives. In the first reading from Zephaniah, we hear a powerful promise: “The Lord…
The Church has purposely set aside these four weeks before Christmas as preparation time. During this time, we are supposed to be preparing to meet our Lord. This means looking at oneself and recognizing what we need to fix or change so as to have a clean heart and soul to meet the Savior…
I’m okay admitting that sometimes I need another person to help me see and understand something. Yes, it can be the case that I don’t understand something, and another person’s perspective helps to communicate what I need to know. I think that’s what Jesus is going in our gospel today. He’s calling out the…
For a second time this week, we honor our Blessed Mother. This time it is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Almost 500 years ago, a woman converted the New World to Catholicism. She did not do this for her own sake, but for the sake of the one she was carrying in…
When I was a little kid learning how to ride my bicycle, I was terrified of getting the training wheels removed from the bike. When dad took them off, my older brother helped to calm my fears by running beside me while I was on my bicycle. He had one hand on the handle…
“Mostly” doesn’t cut it, not in God’s eyes. Jesus gives this image of a sheep that strayed away from the flock and got lost. The shepherd went looking for this lost sheep and with great joy found it. Out of 100 sheep, ONE went missing! There may be some who may believe that it’s…