The Banquet From this Sunday Gospel, the parable of the Banquet, we realize that Jesus knows all about empty places at the table, invitations refused, lack of interest in Him and His closeness. For us, in this nation, in this church body, the empty places at the Lord’s table, whether excusable or not, are no  Read more …

In the celebration of the Eucharist, the glorified Christ becomes present under the appearances of bread and wine in a way that is unique, a way that is uniquely suited to the Eucharist. In the Church’s traditional theological language, in the act of consecration during the Eucharist the “substance” of the bread and wine is  Read more …

How far would I go for a friend? There was a man, sick of the palsy, in the town that obviously needed the healing ministry of the Lord. While he could do nothing about it himself, his friends wanted to be sure the man received the touch he needed and carried him on a bed  Read more …

St Francis, a model for evangelism As is appropriate today on this wonderful feast, I want to talk to you about St. Francis of Assisi. But not the St. Francis who only sat passively in the woods with all the animals. I want to talk to you about the St. Francis who transformed the Church.  Read more …

Commenting on the often violent inhumanity of man to man, George Bernard Shaw in his play “Caesar and Cleopatra” sums things up this way: “And so, to the end of history, murder shall breed murder, always in the name of right and honor and peace, until the gods are tired of blood, and create a  Read more …

Why is Michael our patron saint? Of the many angels spoken of in the Bible, only four are called by name: Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael, and Michael. The archangel Michael is the most venerated of all the angels. He is the powerful agent of God who wards off evil from God’s people and delivers peace to  Read more …

St. Michael the Archangel: Protector of the People of God… “MI-CA-EL”, (Hebrew) or “Who is like unto God?” was the cry of the great Archangel when he smote the rebel Lucifer in the conflict of the heavenly hosts. From that hour he has been known as Michael, Captain of the armies of God, the archetype  Read more …

Why do we make the sign of the cross when entering the church, at the beginning of the mass or any other prayer? The answer is both simple and profound. In the Sign of the Cross, we profess the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith, the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and the saving  Read more …

The Exaltation of the Cross. As Christians we have become so accustomed to seeing the crucifix in our churches and homes that we can perhaps forget the horrific suffering it represents. When we do reflect on that suffering, the Exaltation of the Cross, that cruel instrument of torture and execution, can seem scandalously insensitive to  Read more …

Is it possible to be a failure at prayer? The answer is “yes,” and this Sunday we’ll talk about two failures at prayer, depicted for us in the Gospel reading, the parable of the Publican and Pharisee. Think about this for a moment: What are you telling God in prayer that He, God, doesn’t already  Read more …