It’s 1 a.m. and I can hear the beautiful songs of birds outside my window. I find it strange, as it is not a sound I usually hear in my neighborhood at this hour. For the past two nights my youngest has had need of me in the pre-dawn, early morning hours. As this is fairly uncharacteristic, I find myself reflecting on just that, among other things, whilst the birds sing on in the background. As the minutes tick by I begin to reflect on the day’s events as well as what is to come for tomorrow. Daily reflection is a common practice among mothers, as I have come to…

“Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.” Ps 104. We take a moment to reflect upon this beautiful psalm today as we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost. It is the Spirit of the Lord that was gifted to the apostles in the wake of Jesus returning to the Father. It is this same Spirit gifted to us on our Baptism as well as our confirmation day. We are told “they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim,” Acts 2:1-11, but they received so much more than that. The Catechism of the…

If you grew up in a Catholic household like mine, you probably learned the entire Our Father long before you could even spell your own name. The Our Father is a prayer I have recited a few million times in my life and counting. While I have always revered it as the words Jesus gave us, I found myself drawn into the prayer anew today. “Give us this day our daily bread.” I have generally read and recited these words quite literally. Jesus invites us to ask God to provide nourishment for our physical bodies. What if we venture to go a bit deeper here and posit that we are…

We read from John’s Gospel this week Ch. 6 verses 22-59. Jesus refers to Himself over and over again as The Bread of Life sent from the Father to give eternal life to those who believe. But what did He mean by referring to Himself as bread? First, Jesus meant to mention Himself as sustenance quite literally. “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.” JN 6:55. The Jewish people were confounded by this statement. How could they be expected to eat the flesh of Jesus and to drink of his blood and yet all they needed to do was to be reminded of the Passover…

Were not all the disciples incredibly relatable? Jesus handpicked followers that represented the average people of the day. By design, some two thousand years later, we see ourselves and our neighbors so accurately depicted. Scripture tells us that two of Jesus’s disciples, three days after His death, went on a journey several miles from Jerusalem (Lk 24:13-25). On their way they began to discuss the events of the past few days with an apparent stranger they encountered. They are unaware that this fellow traveller is indeed Jesus. This “stranger” ministers to them as they walk on and discusses all the prophetic references of His death and resurrection that appeared in…

Loss is never easy. Loss always challenges us. It challenges our will power to overcome devastation. It challenges our resolve to rise from the ashes victorious. It challenges our belief system and values, often ushering in those crippling, defeatist questions, “Where is God?” “Does he care about me?” As our world continues to labor under the birthing pains of this pandemic, we realize that we are surrounded by loss. Loss of finances and job security, loss of world trade and economy, loss of friends, family, and neighbors as inevitably individuals succumb to the illness. Loss of our freedoms to come and go as we please, loss of social contacts and…

“You are what you eat.” Today we celebrate the institution of the Eucharist. Jesus breaking bread with His disciples explaining to them that He is the bread of Life. Those who eat of this bread will never die. He instructs them to continue this sacred meal in remembrance of Him. Our Catholic faith professes the transubstantiation. Jesus is sacrificed on the altars of our churches at every Mass, and at every Mass we are invited back to that solemn last meal of Jesus with His disciples. For us, it is more than bread and wine. We receive Jesus’s body, blood, soul and divinity in the exact way He intended, and…

“I was wrong.” “My mistake.” “I should not have done or said that.” Are you a person who can easily admit a personal fault or failure? Do you often times find yourself making excuses for why you said or did something? If I’m being honest then I’d have to admit I fall into the latter category. Not all the time, but sometimes. It’s not easy quieting that little devil sitting on our shoulder who loves to whisper all kinds of sinful suggestions in our ear. Hopefully this Lent has allowed you extra time to reflect upon growing closer to God. Perhaps you were encouraged by a friend, loved one, or pastor…

“Go with the angels.” This is how my favorite virtual priest closes out our prayer sessions every so often. I say virtual, but he is a real person, a Vincentian priest, who happens to have a daily prayer podcast. The podcast is called The God Minute and it is awesome. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a new way to pray. This closing prayer I always find so surreal. The reminder we are in the presence of angels everyday is both encouraging and reassuring. Angels are present throughout all of scripture. They served as messengers of God, warriors, and comforters. We are told in Luke’s Gospel that…

The resurrection of Jesus is meaningful to us on many levels. One of those being a great symbol of hope. The Israelites had been waiting for God’s answer to their longing for salvation. Long had they kept watch in search of the messiah. Jesus was not at all what they expected and yet the miracles He worked, His teachings, and His knowledge of the Jewish law became for many devout Jews the obvious answer of God. Jesus was the physical embodiment of all they had hoped for. How joyous they must have felt being in His presence. His death challenged their belief in Him until His blessed resurrection was made…