Articles for Christmas

  For the first time in Scripture, we find someone happy to die: St. Simeon. Before this, death was a punishment or at the very least a resignation. Even King David rests with his ancestors but not without running from rivals and enemies and mourning the loss of his son Absalom. Now, Simeon is happy…

  There are horrible martyrs’ feasts, and then there are horrible martyrs’ feasts. It is difficult to think of anything more detestable than the slaughter of innocent children. Yet, those are the martyrdoms we celebrate today. It is a hard feast to celebrate, but we note the sacrifice of these little ones who were embraced…

  The arrival of Apostles Peter and John at the Empty Tomb on Easter morning represents two forms of the Church. St. John is the Mystical Church that arrives at the tomb first, but does not go inside – it sees the mystery glimpsed from afar. In contrast, the Hierarchical Church is represented by Peter…

    Once in eighth grade, I passed out, hit the back of my head on a desk, and had a seizure. I remember waking to a circle of my classmates above me with faces full of horror. I felt the back of my head thinking it must have been broken and bleeding but it…

    Throughout the scriptures, we get to witness the dramatic event of the ‘heavens being torn open.’ It can be a unique and frightening event that manifests God’s very presence among us. We can call to mind the story in Exodus of God’s coming to Israel on the mountain of Sinai where they received…

  There’s a flashback today in the Gospel to the time before John the Baptist was imprisoned. He’s asked about why Jesus is baptizing and why the people are going to Him. John is humble in saying that the “bridegroom has the bride,” and the best man rejoices to take part in the wedding and…

  “Who is the victor over the World? The one who believes in Jesus Christ…” We have our victory in the Lord Jesus. He is the one who conquers sin and adversity. He delivers us from all the problems we have. I remember reading a book by Dinesh D’Souza, a Christian writer. He dedicated this…

  Reading this section of First John is a challenge for me because I haven’t always lived by this maxim, “Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” In elementary school and in junior high, I fought often. I didn’t respect others as I should have. I acted like a bully and was bullied back…

  Amongst Catholics, very few topics hit the raw nerve of people like liturgy. Yes, liturgy. I want to discuss this because it’s so important to our faith. Jesus did say that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. God inspired religion in order to bring us closer to him. If…

  I will often look over the readings for the coming week when writing a reflection like this and think, “what is the best way to approach this?” I’ve found that I can’t really write a good reflection unless it’s something that touched my heart first. I can only write or give a witness to…

  As we move from the Epiphany to the Lord’s Baptism, we hear today about the arrest of John the Baptist in the Gospel reading. Jesus “withdrew to Galilee.” John’s arrest seems to have affected Jesus deeply. They were both cousins, and John played an important role in the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. There are…

    Introductory Note: Many of my reflections are taken from an essay I wrote for the American Benedictine Review’s annual writing contest. The theme I chose to write on was the glory of God at work in our life. I humbly pray my writing will contribute to your own prayer and meditation. This is…

  Saints Basil and Gregory Nazianzen, whose feast we commemorate today, were lifelong friends. They studied rhetoric together in the best schools, they lived a monastic life together, and later as bishops, they spurned each other on to greatness working out theology on the nature of the Trinity. We intuitively know that friendship is important,…

  In the year 428, there was a raging controversy in the Church over whether Mary could be called Mother of God—Theotokos in Greek. The dispute pitted Nestorius, the patriarch of Constantinople, against Cyril, the patriarch of Alexandria in Egypt. Nestorius claimed that Mary is the mother only of the human Jesus, not of the…

  John begins today’s gospel with “in the beginning was the Word,” and says in the first reading, “it is the last hour.” At least for John and the scriptures in general, the beginning and end of time are marked, not by Big Bangs, but by the absolute sovereignty and rule of Christ. However, the…

  Jesus “grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.” In the spiritual life, our souls also grow in strength, wisdom, and grace. But unlike our physical body, which reaches a certain maturity and then begins to decline, our soul keeps growing through every age, every experience, every…

  There is an ancient tradition that a child is not given to parents by God but only loaned to them for a short time. The Jewish rites surrounding birth contained this belief, especially of the first-born son. The Presentation of Jesus in the temple had a significance his parents did not fully grasp. He,…

  One can hardly imagine an evil more heinous than killing innocent children, nor a scene more heart-wrenching than their mothers witnessing and enduring such a violent act. This feast of the Holy Innocents presents us so quickly after the Christmas celebration of light and love, a reminder of the human heart’s darkest potential and…

    On this Holy Family Sunday, the Gospel reading is obviously about the Holy Family. In particular, this year, we hear the passage about the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. There are five figures in this scene: Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Simeon and Anna. In my reflection today, I will focus on Joseph. Joseph…

  It is commonly accepted among scripture scholars that the stories of Jesus’ birth and infancy were the last parts of the gospels to be written. As the early Christians tried to grasp the meaning of Christ, they first reflected on his death and resurrection. In stages, they looked back to understand his teaching and…