Tomorrow is the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene, one of my favorite saints, apostle to the apostles, and an important supporter of Jesus’ ministry. Why did Jesus say to her “Noli me tangere” outside his tomb? I love St May Magdalene. She was for ever grateful to Jesus for healing
In 2008 I visited Ireland on business. My wife, Angie, and I took the opportunity to journey to the northwest part of Ireland and visit the small village of Knock. More specifically, we visited the Catholic Knock Shrine in County Mayo, a shrine previously visited by Pope John Paul II
Pray
“O my God, Trinity whom I adore, help me forget myself entirely so to establish myself in you, unmovable and peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing be able to trouble my peace or make me leave you, O my unchanging God, but may each minute
Pray
“Mental prayer in my opinion is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us. The important thing is not to think much but to love much and so do that which best stirs you to
Study Scripture
Have you ever thought of yourself as a prophet? We are called to be prophets but why and how do we live this calling? We normally think of prophets as Biblical people from ancient times like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. What if I told you that all Baptized Christians
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In today’s Gospel reading (Mark 5:21-43) we get a powerful lesson on the importance of having humility and an unwavering faith in God’s love and omnipotence during prayers of petition and intersession. This reading contains two stories that blend together. First, upon Jesus’ return to the West
Start and ending blessing of the meaningful address by Pope Francis in his 2020 Urbi et Orbis for the end of the Corona Virus, March 27, 2020 Start “When evening had come” (Mk 4:35). The Gospel passage we have just heard begins like this. For weeks now it has
Instructions to the Monastic or the Pilgrim A poem by Nicholas Samaras Enter this room and call it a cell. Fold yourself and put yourself away. For your whole life, you will be an amateur. But be an amateur striving. Enter this room and call it vigilance. Make your ego
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An image, a metaphor, is a powerful tool to understand life and theology. For many years I had the wrong image in mind of what Jesus meant by “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me.” As I read and visualized this passage I could feel Jesus’ compassion in
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“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In Matthew 27:46 we hear Jesus on the cross say in Aramaic and Hebrew “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” How is it possible the the Son of God, knowing that He was fulfilling His Father’s plan, felt such despair? This
When we do the sign of the cross we are putting ourselves in the presence of God and are asking for His spiritual and physical protection. Yet, this simple prayer has a much more profound meaning. The sign of the cross is simple. We trace a cross from our forehead
“What we would like to do is change the world—make it a little simpler for people to feed, clothe, and shelter themselves as God intended them to do. And, by fighting for better conditions, by crying out unceasingly for the rights of the workers, the poor, of the destitute—