On this most holy day, allow me to wish all of you a very blessed Christmas!  I hope all of your preparations have been successful and you will be able to take a moment to sit back and reflect on the meaning of this great Feast – the birth of God’s only son for our salvation!  All around you – even in the secular Christmas decorations and events around you – you can find symbols of this pivotal moment in Salvation History.  Take, for example the Christmas tree.  It is […]

All of this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” (Mt 1:22-23)

On this, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, we all realize that Christmas is just a few days away!  As we hear proclaimed in both our first reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah and our gospel from Matthew, Jesus, the son of Mary, is also truly God: Emmanuel – that is God-with-us.  […]

“Be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come” (Mt 24:44).

With these words, our Lord helps to prepare us for his coming.  As we begin a new liturgical year today, the First Sunday of Advent, allow me to reflect on the season of Advent and the Gospel of Matthew (from which we will hear extensively during this liturgical year).

We human beings cannot live without hope.  Unlike the rest of the animals in this world, we are blessed with the ability to recognize the […]

This, the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year, the Church calls us to reflect on the kingship of Jesus Christ.  His kingship is anticipated in the anointing of David as the king of Israel.  In today’s first reading at Mass from 2 Samuel, we hear the Lord God say to David, “You shall shepherd my people Israel.”  And, in the Gospel passage from Luke, we hear the Jewish rulers, who have just succeeded in having Jesus crucified, taunt him with “If you are the King of the Jews, save […]

As plans were being finalized for its relocation, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary opened once again this fall for the education and formation of 148 seminarians from 11 (arch)dioceses and six religious congregations, including Allentown, Harrisburg, Lincoln, NE, Trenton, NJ, as well as dioceses in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Vietnam!  We are blessed to have 65 of the seminarians preparing to become priests in our archdiocese.  Founded in 1832, our seminary has provided excellent priestly formation for our archdiocese, (arch)dioceses around the country and, indeed, worldwide.  I am very proud of […]