Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Despite claiming to be law-abiding citizens while professing faith in God most merciful, we grow numb to the corrosive divisiveness and callous disregard for human dignity popping more frequently each day all across the country. Gun violence and police misconduct are top of the list right now. How do we […]

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time In a couple of weeks, I will be traveling on pilgrimage to the Holy Land with friends from my previous parish in Waynesboro. It is a destination off my bucket list. And it gives me pause to think I will be walking the dusty roads that Jesus walked and visiting […]

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time A teenager approaches you, believing you have wisdom and experience, and asks you, “How can I tell if I’m in love?” “Finally,” you say to yourself. “This is the moment I’ve been waiting for all my life.” While the temptation is overwhelming, you restrain yourself admirably. You don’t ask, “What’s […]

The Epiphany of the Lord The wise men came from the east, Persia, Arabia, Turkey perhaps, to do homage to a newborn infant lying in a manger. The word “magi” indicates they were learned men, astrologers, possibly leaders among their own people. Scripture does not say how many of them came to visit, only that […]

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God On this first day of the new year, the church asks us to pray once again for peace. It isn’t that we don’t pray for peace any other time of the year because we do. But as we cross the threshold of a new year, we always eagerly leave […]

The Nativity of the Lord “So where are you really from?” That question landed a former lady-in-waiting to the late Queen Elizabeth and godmother of Prince William in hot water recently, forcing her into early retirement at age 83. It sounds innocent enough. But for those accustomed to hearing the question even if no malice […]

Fourth Sunday of Advent You know the saying: A clean desk is a sign of a sick mind. Not a scientific fact. Just an excuse messy people use so they don’t have to clean their room, their desk, or their car. Albert Einstein had bad hair. It’s not proof he was a genius, just that […]

Third Sunday of Advent I like being incognito. It’s more challenging here since I’m easy to pick out of a crowd. I like walking into another church, for example, and sit in the assembly, and just blend in, listening, praying, and singing like everyone else. I like walking around a shopping mall or commuter station […]

Second Sunday of Advent At the start of a new year, resolutions mark a kind of new beginning, to better ourselves—more exercise, less junk food; more substantial reading, less mindless entertainment; more productive activity, less wasted time; more organization, less sloppiness; more purpose and direction, less wishy-washiness. At the end of the year, when we […]