One of the surprising stories from the Gospel of John is when Jesus asks Peter if he loves him. He asked the question not just once but three times. Each time Peter tells Jesus that he loves him, Jesus responds with, “Feed my sheep.” Just a short time before, Peter denied Jesus three times on…

If we were in any library or bookstore, we would find many books considered to be mysteries.  The same is true if we looked through the TV Guide. Many of the TV shows are in the category of mystery. In both the books, and the TV show, we usually find the mystery to be solved…

Luke’s Beatitudes: (Luke 6:17, 20-26) Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.Blessed are you when people hate you and defame you on account of the Son of Man.Rejoice in…

Have you ever had the experience when you felt called to take on a new task, or do something different with your life, something different than you ever experienced before? It may have been a call to a new job, maybe to marriage or religious life. It may have been an urge to move to…

The social justice teaching of the Catholic Church dates back to 1891 with Pope Leo XIII’s landmark encyclical, Rerum Novarum (“Of New Things”). There we learn that justice means that we act with integrity, honesty and truthfulness at all times and in all ways. Since then, the Church has continued to stress the responsibility of…

Angela Merici had a conscious sense of maternal leadership. Angela was not afraid to be involved in the lives of others. She was a relational person. She allowed women and men from all walks of life to interact with her on a very personal level. She was as equally comfortable with wealthy, influential men of…

The social justice teaching of the Catholic Church dates back to 1891 with Pope Leo XIII’s landmark encyclical, Rerum Novarum (“Of New Things”). There we learn that justice means that we act with integrity, honesty and truthfulness at all times and in all ways. Since then, the Church has continued to stress the responsibility of all people to work…

These words from the Our Father, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” are a clear reminder that we are forgiven to the degree we are able to forgive. If we are honest with ourselves, we all admit to the need for forgiveness. Very often, forgiveness is sought from God…

For forty days during Lent, we prepared for the most important church feast – Easter – which was celebrated following the liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. Easter Sunday was filled with alleluias. We sang and prayed Christ is risen! Let us rejoice! The Easter season ends with two great feasts – the Solemnity…

Easter is a feast of new life. It is the feast when the visible, physical Jesus became the Christ of glory through suffering, death and resurrection. That is an astounding fact, and one that should call each of us to deepen our relationship with such a generous and loving God. But I think we need…

One of the most startling lines in all of scripture comes from the Book of Revelation: “If you are neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” (Rev. 3:16)  This line not only jars my whole being, but it also reminds me of when I was a young sister and one of the…

Most Christians would be willing to say that they have a relationship with God, but some doubt that it is a deep, intimate relationship. Some Christians are acquaintances of God that comes from habit, training, or even just out of obligation. Think about your closest human relationship. It takes immense trust, time and commitment to really be in a deep, intimate human relation. This is also true of our…

I know the title “Mary of Nazareth” makes sense to all of us because Mary lived in the town of Nazareth with Jesus and Joseph. I also think that we all are familiar with the story of Mary at the time of the Annunciation when she was called by the angel to be the mother of Jesus. But why would I…

I chose gratitude for a topic because, hopefully, all of us have gained insights about ourselves over the years, insights that have challenged us to growth.  We should be grateful for those insights, even if sometimes they may have been painful for us.  We know that scripture provides us with many references for gratitude.  For instance, in Psalm…

In Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians he begins the letter with these wonderful words: We keep thanking God for all of you and we remember you in our prayers, for we constantly are mindful before our God and Father of the way you are proving your faith, and laboring in love, and showing constancy of hope in our…