Perhaps you have heard the old adage that says, “God writes straight with crooked lines.” It means that God has a way of accomplishing his plan through – and perhaps despite – the twists and turns of human history. Surely when the persecution of the early Christians started, it looked Read more…
Today we continue the gospel of the Good Shepherd picking up at verse 11. The Old Testament often speaks of God as shepherd of his people Israel as we hear in Psalm 23. But Jesus also refers to himself as the “Good Shepherd” who will risk even his life to Read more…
Today is Good Shepherd Sunday. Often we see paintings of a well-groomed shepherd, staff in hand, sitting in a lush green pasture, watching over well behaved docile sheep. This image doesn’t tell the whole truth. Sheep and shepherds are often dirty and anything but docile. We have seen them in Read more…
Saturday is the sacrament Rollo in Cursillo so I thought I would reflect on all the awesome truths surrounding Baptism. In baptism we have Died with Christ and have been cleansed of original sin. We are become children of God and are made members of the church. Think also of Read more…
Today is the feast day of St. Joseph the worker. He and St. John the Baptist are the only non-Mary saints to have two feast days. He is special to me because I grew up in St.Joseph county, Indiana, was born in St. Joseph hospital, made all my sacraments in Read more…
The conversion of Paul has all the elements of a dramatic Hollywood movie. You have the villain suddenly stopped in his tracks by a light from the sky. A voice comes from heaven and this villain undergoes an amazing transformation and embarks on a whole new adventure. What about your Read more…
The gospel readings for this week comes from John 6. Many of you know this is one of my favorite chapters and one I quote in the Sacraments Rollo. It is the famous Bread of Life discourse. Jesus meaning is both symbolic and literal. When he refers to himself as Read more…
How could St. Stephen the first deacon forgive the people who were stoning him to death ? Can you imagine the reaction of those stoning him when they heard these words ? Instead of cursing them and calling down God’s wrath on them, Stephen was asking God to forgive them. Read more…
Today’s first reading talks about the first Deacon and first martyr, St. Stephen. He is presented to us as someone who had trained for the ultimate spiritual challenge, the ability to remain joyful and peaceful in a very difficult situation. Far more difficult than most of us are experiencing during Read more…