Prayer & Reflection - March 2, 2023 - At last week’s Ash Wednesday liturgy, the celebrant proposed a different approach to Lent which caught my attention. He spoke of Lent as a season of humility during which we can re-examine our relationships with our loving God and one another. “Who knows where we will be on Easter Sunday?” he said with a smile.…

Prayer & Reflection - February 28, 2023 - Living in the drought-stricken West, whenever we receive rain (and snow in the mountains) we rejoice despite the challenges of recent storms. The reservoirs begin to fill, the aquifers start replenishing, irrigation canals bring precious water to parched fields, and the land turns green with hope of new life. Isaiah’s metaphor of God’s word pouring…

Prayer & Reflection - February 26, 2023 - We who have been “around” for a while know that on the first Sunday of Lent we get the two “big” temptation stories: the Garden of Eden and Jesus tested in the desert. Sometimes we skim over these familiar readings and decide we know what is going to happen anyway. But how would it go…

Prayer & Reflection - April 4, 2023 - Here we are on Tuesday of Holy Week! We can see Lent’s finish line straight ahead, and we look forward to crossing it very soon. Today’s reading from Isaiah has all the elements of an impassioned victory speech—perfect for crossing that finish line. The prophet praises God who has not only protected him, but also…

Prayer & Reflection - March 6, 2023 - Today’s Gospel reading is a hard one to swallow and digest. Jesus challenges his disciples to be merciful, to stop judging, to stop condemning, to forgive, and to be generous. Jesus challenges us to do the same. But how can we be merciful to the person who just cussed us out? How do we stop…

Prayer & Reflection - February 24, 2023 - American history is replete with examples of bigotry against Catholic immigrants. Whether it was the Know Nothing Party in the 1800s or the Ku Klux Klan in the 1900s, millions of Americans have seen Catholics as a threat to the American way of life. There were many reasons for this animosity. Many of our ancestors…

Prayer & Reflection - April 9, 2023 - “We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song!” For some, the accounts of Jesus’ resurrection in the Gospels are beautiful stories of an event experienced by the disciples long ago. We believe that Jesus has risen from the dead based on these accounts, but do we realize resurrection’s implications in our own lives?…

Prayer & Reflection - April 1, 2023 - Today we read in Ezekiel about the hope of God’s plan to return all His scattered children, provide protection, multiply them, dwell with them forever, and make with them a covenant of peace. In stark contrast, the plot to kill Jesus is revealed in John’s Gospel in the meeting of the chief priests and the…

Prayer & Reflection - March 28, 2023 - “For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.” – John 8:24 Each and every person walking the earth today suffers from a fallen nature. We are sinners; there is no exception. We need a remedy for our nature and our behavior. We can and should grow in holiness,…

Prayer & Reflection - March 26, 2023 - Jesus cried out in loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.” This powerful gospel near the end of our Lenten season is a hint of Easter’s…

Prayer & Reflection - March 27, 2023 - As I prayed with today’s readings — the disturbing story of Susanna in the Book of Daniel, the all-too-familiar words of Psalm 23, and Jesus’ challenging the Pharisees in John’s Gospel — I asked God for help in seeing what God wants to show me in these stories. The piece that caught my attention is…

Prayer & Reflection - March 25, 2023 - Today we celebrate the Annunciation of the Lord, a day which changed the course of human history, and a day that’s very special in my life. Human history was altered because Mary’s YES to God’s plan enabled our God to come and live among us; certainly that makes it special. But it’s extra special to…