AS WE ENTER FULLY INTO THE SEASON OF LENT
“See, I am now establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you” (Gn 9:8). As we begin again the Season of Lent, we hear today God’s reassuring words to Noah and his family after the devastating flood. We are all familiar with this story in the Bible which provides a moral explanation for the end of the last Ice Age. As this story ends, we hear God assuring humanity that he will care for us; all we need to do is turn away from our sinful ways and [...]
LENT BEGINS
It’s been a strange and unusually warm winter, hasn’t it? With the exception of a few extraordinarily frigid days and one snow storm, it’s felt more like fall or spring than winter. Now, spring is fast approaching. Liturgically, Lent – which means “spring” – is almost here; it starts this week with Ash Wednesday. Just as the natural world is reawakened and renewed every spring, each year, the Church, in her wisdom, offers us this liturgical Season of Lent, a season for reconciliation and renewal in preparation for Easter, when [...]
NATIONAL CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
National Catholic Schools Week is an annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. Now entering its 50th anniversary year, it is an opportunity for us to recognize the importance of Catholic education and formation and to celebrate our school that has instructed and formed our children for over 100 years. Our school has enjoyed a strong reputation as an outstanding Catholic elementary school ever since it opened in 1916. It was originally founded to ensure that the Catholic children in this area would receive both an excellent education [...]
REFLECTIONS ON RECENT VATICAN DECLARATION – Part 2
REFLECTIONS ON RECENT VATICAN DECLARATION Part 2 Last week, I provided you with a summary of the recent Vatican declaration entitled Fiducia Supplicans in response to questions that had been raised over the past several years regarding same-sex couples. As you read this summary, you will recall that it ended with: “beyond the guidance provided above, no further responses should be expected about possible ways to regulate details or practicalities regarding blessings of this type.” It sounded as if the Vatican’s Office for the Doctrine of the Faith [...]
THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year B)
Jonah 3:1 – 5, 10 This Sunday, we will hear from the Book of Jonah. The passage was clearly chosen to prepare us for the Gospel, as we shall see. We only hear from this book once every three years on Sunday – that is, this Sunday – so let’s spend some time understanding its genre. It is listed as a prophetic book, but is unique among the prophets for two reasons: 1) it is not a collection of oracles, but a narrative; and 2) Jonah’s behavior is the opposite [...]
SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Year B
1 Samuel 3:3b-10, 19 As we return to Ordinary Time, time that is ordered for our salvation, this Sunday we will hear about the calling of Samuel to become a prophet. You may recall the birth of Samuel to Hannah, who had been sterile (cf. 1 Sm 1:1-28). Shortly after his birth, Hannah dedicated Samuel to God by bringing him to the temple. We begin the season of Ordinary Time with a classic vocation narrative. For those who know the story of his early life, Samuel’s call is not much [...]