From the heart of Deacon Doug.
Today is the feast day of St. Monica who is best known as the mother of St. Augustine. Not a bad way to be known. She was a mother of two children and had an adulterous husband, all who she prayed for constantly until their conversion. She is the patron saint of alcoholics, Read more
For 2000 years the Jewish people knew that they were God’s chosen ones. They had separated themselves from other nations, at God’s direction, and treasured the bond between God and themselves. God had taken them as his bride. When I think of all that history and background, I can only imagine Read more
The story of Nathanael in today’s gospel reminds us of the process of conversion. First Nathanael is told about Jesus by his friend Phillip. Second Nathanael doesn’t accept this at first but wants to look into it further. He doesn’t believe the Messiah could come from Nazareth since he subscribes to the Read more
If you ask friends and associates, “Who do people say I am”, I wonder what kind of response you would get. Perhaps they would say you are a good coworker, or a great boss, or maybe some would say you are a wonderful parent. Others might call you a good little Read more
Today we celebrate the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Holy Spirit was an intimate and guiding force in Mary’s life. As a teenager she had to explain an unexpected pregnancy to her parents, her friends and neighbors, and especially to St. Joseph. She continued to listen to the prompting of the Read more
Today I went in to the dentist for my regular teeth cleaning. Because of COVID I had not had this done since last summer. Needless to say my teeth were in desperate need of a good cleaning. While waiting in the office I was thinking that my heart and soul are also Read more
Less may be more, but that’s not a popular concept in today’s society. Some people trace today’s “possession obsession” to the emphasis on materialism that developed following the sacrifices of World War II. Consider how small closets are in older homes. Compare that with today’s new homes that have spacious walk-in Read more
On the surface, today’s Gospel about the workers in the vineyard seems unfair. If I had been working in the heat all day and then someone comes at the very end of the day and receives the same wages as me, I would be really upset. It just doesn’t seem fair. But then Read more
In today’s Gospel, Jesus says it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. When Jesus lived, a camel was probably the largest animal that the Jews knew existed. The “eye of the needle” may Read more
The Gospel today is a version of the story of the Rich Young Man. This story is part of the first meditation on Friday morning of the Cursillo. In this meditation we see a person who had lots of material possessions. When Jesus asked him to sell all his stuff, Read more