Demons Jesus went into the wilderness and struggled with the demons. Such is the metaphor of Spiritual life presented to us in today’s Gospel. In the course of our lives, we are all “led into the desert by the Spirit,” and we must struggle with the demons. We struggle with the demon of self-sufficiency. Ignoring  Read more …

Even the liturgy “fasts” in preparation for the glorious season of Easter. The pre-Lenten and Lenten seasons are marked by two very distinct liturgical omissions. Neither the hymn known as the Gloria (Glory to God in the Highest) nor the Alleluia verse sung before the Gospel is permitted during the entire 40 days of Lent  Read more …

“Lord, I want to see.” Bartimaeus’s request is granted. “Be on your way, your faith has healed you.” Salvation consists in doing the will of God. It is the most perfect thing we can do. So we are always trying to discern what God’s will is for me. Jesus turns that question around and asks  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 Sower Today’s gospel describes the struggles of sowing, living, growing. All of us struggle, and we struggle in three ways: we struggle to maintain ourselves, (be on the good ground), struggle to grow (get out of the thorns), and struggle to keep depression and death at bay (fall upon the rock). Because we struggle  Read more …

People often don’t look forward to Lent. Childhood memories of giving up candy or sitting through weekly Stations of the Cross come immediately to mind. Words like “sacrifice”, “discipline” and “self-denial” are often used in ways that suggest that Lent is something to be endured rather than a time of grace and spiritual growth. Have  Read more …

Mourning and Sadness Has someone ever stated the obvious to you? Kids are great at this, “You are wearing cowboy boots!”. But there is always something behind what they are saying, like “I have a pair too”. You just have to dig a little deeper for the meaning. Joshua 1:1-2, After the death of Moses  Read more …

Pascal Wager In the seventeenth century, a famous philosopher and mathematician, Blaise Pascal, encouraged people to make a wager when it came to belief in God. If a person chose to believe in God and God did exist, that person would gain everything (eternal life). If a person chose to believe in God and God  Read more …

“Lord, I am not worthy. . .” We say these words at every mass, but what do they mean? This prayer comes after the words of the priest, “Behold the Lamb of God, and behold Him who takes away the sins of the world….” These words are calling each person in the congregation to wake  Read more …

It’s normal to worry from time to time. Given life’s many unknowns and challenges, worry could be considered a natural response to many situations. But chronic and all-consuming worry can be troublesome and interfere with our ability to function freely and calmly in our daily lives. More importantly, problem worry can make faith in God  Read more …