Articles for Lent

  The first reading for today’s Mass is the story of Joseph and his brothers. We all know it – maybe not from the Bible but from the well-known Broadway show, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, with the memorable music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The brothers think they have gotten rid of their dreamer…

  The parables are intended to make us think and reflect. In the one we hear in today’s gospel, the rich man lived in isolated luxury. Sure, he did not hurt anyone. He didn’t run Lazarus off his property. He didn’t mind Lazarus hanging around his table for the leftovers. So what was the rich…

  The Gospel reading today is about leadership. The mother of two of Jesus’ followers wants Jesus to give her sons positions of leadership. She wants them to be powerful. But that is not how Jesus wants leadership to be exercised. For Jesus, leadership means service. Some years ago, a leading university did a study…

  Both of the bible readings for today’s Mass are powerful. Let me start with the first reading, from the Prophet Isaiah. Isaiah prefigures what Jesus will say in the Gospel. The message is this: we should be known for the integrity of our lives. “Cease doing evil; learn to do good.” What does that…

  We are now in the second week of Lent. Hopefully, our resolve to identify with Jesus remains strong. In today’s Gospel, St. Luke presents Jesus teaching as he stood on a level stretch of ground. This is similar to Matthew’s presentation of the Sermon on the Mount. It begins with the Beatitudes and then…

    Every year, on the Second Sunday of Lent, we hear the Gospel about the Transfiguration of Jesus. The transfiguration prepares different people for the future passion and death of Holy Week. This is true, first of all, for Jesus himself. Secondly, it is true for the apostles present at the event. And, finally,…

  “So be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” This is probably the hardest thing to do. I am reminded of what St. Maximilian Kolbe says, “Entrust all matters to [the Immaculata] and she shall deign to take care of them. In her loving, immaculate hands, victory is certain.” Even though it is Lent,…

  Today in our readings we hear the great mercy that the Lord has those who turn away from the sins that they commit and come back among the flock. But we also hear the warning of those who turn away from God and decide to do their own will and fall away. As the…

  In the Gospel today, Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” I remember when I…

  I am reminded of a homily that our Fr. Aquinas gave after reading the gospel account of John the Baptist’s martyrdom. He said “Mark is the only gospel writer who says ‘Herod enjoyed listening to him [John].’ It just proves that God even loves Herod so much that he tries to penetrate the hardest…

  I remember one day trying my best to show humility in the place where I work on campus, I had a little pocketbook of the “Personal Notes of St. Bernadette Soubirous” that Fr. Joel Derks gave to me before he passed away. I read to myself the section where St. Bernadette said, “I raised…

  I remember thinking as a child, “why on earth are we celebrating a chair, especially a chair that is probably broken since it is over 2000 years old!” But as St. Paul says, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.” When…

  In today’s readings, especially the first reading, we can first get the sense of Easter. Noah was in the ark for 150 days. When the day finally came for him, his family, and all the animals to come out of the ark, the Lord made a covenant with Noah, saying “I will establish my…

  Plenty of people are funny but can’t tell a joke. Each week I get a taste of that hosting our seminary’s community night, News & Views. I start out with a joke, and let’s just say that often my humor differs from our seminarians. They think I’m funny, true, but they don’t always laugh…

  Okay, let’s be real: Who would choose death and doom over life and prosperity? Unfortunately, the reality is not as simple as that. Many people do choose to gain the world and lose their soul in the process. Therefore, Moses is quite right to say that the choice is counter-intuitive. The Law of the…

    This year our custom for imposing ashes will change in the U.S. However, the practice of sprinkling ashes on the crown of the head as opposed to marking a cross on the forehead is more common throughout the world. Honestly, I prefer the new custom. It felt odd to hear Jesus’ words about…

It is the custom at Conception Abbey to celebrate a Commemoration of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturdays during Ordinary Time. The antiphons on this day are taken from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I. In Ordinary Time, Set 2. The readings are of the weekday. The Eucharist today commences with the antiphon:…

  Preface: Throughout this coming week, we will ponder the daily Mass readings from the perspective of the liturgical texts given to us in the Roman Missal and the Lectionary—the entrance and communion antiphons, the responsorial refrains, and the gospel acclamations. These texts provide a unique perspective on the scripture passages of each day and…

  Specific readings used at Conception Abbey on this day. Preface: Throughout this coming week, we will ponder the daily Mass readings from the perspective of the liturgical texts given to us in the Roman Missal and the Lectionary—the entrance and communion antiphons, the responsorial refrains, and the gospel acclamations. These texts provide a unique…

  Preface: Throughout this coming week, we will ponder the daily Mass readings from the perspective of the liturgical texts given to us in the Roman Missal and the Lectionary—the entrance and communion antiphons, the responsorial refrains and the gospel acclamations. These texts provide a unique perspective on the scripture passages of each day and…

Preface: Throughout this coming week, we will ponder the daily Mass readings from the perspective of the liturgical texts given to us in the Roman Missal and the Lectionary—the entrance and communion antiphons, the responsorial refrains, and the gospel acclamations. These texts provide a unique perspective on the scripture passages of each day and often…

  Preface: Throughout this coming week, we will ponder the daily Mass readings from the perspective of the liturgical texts given to us in the Roman Missal and the Lectionary—the entrance and communion antiphons, the responsorial refrains, and the gospel acclamations. These texts provide a unique perspective on the scripture passages of each day and…

  Preface: Throughout this coming week, we will ponder the daily Mass readings from the perspective of the liturgical texts given to us in the Roman Missal and the Lectionary—the entrance and communion antiphons, the responsorial refrains, and the Gospel acclamations. These texts provide a unique perspective on the scripture passages of each day and…

  Today we celebrate the Presentation of the Virgin Mary. It was the custom for Jewish youth to be presented in the Temple in Jerusalem. Mary was presented before God. Mary isn’t just the Mother of God. She is Our Lady of Victory. She is resplendent in her prefiguration of the glory God gives to…

  Jesus finally arrives at the Temple in Jerusalem. Here, He drives out those who were selling things. Jesus accuses these merchants of turning the Temple into a “den of thieves,” when it was meant to be a “house of prayer.” (Leave it to Jesus not to be subtle.) Jesus then starts to teach in…

  During this time of division and uncertainty, it’s important to reflect on the importance of peace in our lives and how we stand for truth. There are many problems we see in the world. There are many battles and debates raging around us. Where is our place? What is our duty? How are we…

  Holy, holy, holy. These words echo through the first reading and through the responsorial psalm. The four living creatures that stand before the throne, which resemble a lion, a calf, a man, and an eagle, all recite these words continuously before God. In today’s Gospel, we hear Luke’s take on the story of the…

  “I will set the victor beside me on my throne.” (Rev. 3:21). Jesus promises a victory to those who follow Him. This isn’t false hope. Jesus will not leave us disappointed. We also have to understand that this isn’t a victory of the World. If we only focus on achieving, we will lose sight…

  The Book of Revelation is our point of entry into the scriptures this week. This mystical volume speaks volumes of God’s ways to us. How do we interpret it? How can we approach it? The first thing to say about Revelation, and the Bible in general, is that it is not to be taken…

  These readings for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time call us to a healthy sense of vigilance. This is the second-to-last Sunday before the Advent Season. The liturgical year of the Catholic Church will begin again, and we will count down the days to the celebration of our Lord Jesus Christ coming in the…

  In the Gospel today, Jesus offers a strange story, the story of the unjust judge. The judge is unwilling to hear this women’s case, and she becomes dangerously persistent in her demand for change. Unwilling to put himself in danger, the judge rules in her favor. Jesus goes on to say that God is…

  “Anyone who is so “progressive” as not to remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God; whoever remains in the teaching has the Father and the Son.” The New Testament is not meant to keep us complacent, rather, it is there to shake us into faith; rattle us into making a…

  We like things to be clear, understandable, and obvious. Unnecessary confusion or hiddenness is not appreciated, we live in a scientific society. The naked truth—in the news, in our classrooms, in our churches, in our politics, in our society—is important and desired. However, when it comes to Christ, that’s not always the case. Not…

  In the Old Testament, there can be a reality whereby you are made “unclean” — that is unable, because of some physical or moral ailment, amongst other reasons, that prevents you from being able to enter into society or to encounter God. This so because God’s holiness is dangerous to us if we are…

  It is not easy to hear our Gospel today, “you have only done what you were commanded.” Our Catholic lives are not about minimums, not about getting rewards for doing what is minimally required. Our life must be more than that. So, what how do we take today’s gospel? We are facing a reality…

  Zeal for your house will consume me. We celebrate a unique feast today, the feast of a building. This building, St. John Lateran, the Pope’s cathedral, can become for us a sign of powerful witness, and it is this witness we celebrate. The witness is not a witness of grandeur—the Church is most surely…

  Our Gospel today can offer a very practical plan for navigating important relationships. The relationship between the virgins and bridegroom can teach us both what to do and not to do. Let’s take each part of the story and find out what we can learn. First, the virgins prepared for the coming of the…

  What does holiness look like? My professor once asked this question to his class and he wrote all the responses from his students on a dry erase board. Seeing everything written with a blue marker on the board highlighted the fact that we all had expectations or preconceptions of what a holy person might…

  Writing to the Philippians, St. Paul’s letter has been termed “the letter of joy” because he is able to encourage them to rejoice in the faith, based on true understanding of Christ’s unique role in the salvation of all who profess Jesus as Lord. St. Paul reminds us of something particularly important for an…