Hear to Heaven

Know someone considering a vocation to the priesthood? Commend them to Joseph, who helped prepare Jesus for his priestly ministry.

Mark 14:12-16,22-26. On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples said to him, "Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?" He sent two of his disciples and said to them, "Go into the city and a man will meet you, carrying a jar of water. Follow him. Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, 'The Teac...

Part 4 of an ongoing series of meditations on the Mass.

For those listening closely, I didn’t end up praying Eucharistic prayer IV because it has its own preface from which it can’t be separated.

See “What Happens at Mass” by Father Jeremy Driscoll, OSB for more great reflections on the Mass.

Gospel Jn 20:19-23 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so...

Second Meditation in a series on the Holy Mass.

Gospel Mk 16:15-20 Jesus said to his disciples: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly th...

First meditation in a series on the Holy Mass.

John 15:9-17 Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete." This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than th...

A continuation of this past Sunday’s homily. Staying connected to Jesus the vine in prayer.

Gospel Jn 15:1-8 Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so...

Saint Augustine Comments on this Gospel of the Good Shepherd: "If there be no bad shepherds, he would not have described the hireling, who sees the wolf and flees. He seeks his own glory, not Christ's glory. He does not dare to rebuke sinners with freedom of spirit. The wolf catches a sheep by the neck, the devil induces a man to commit adultery. And you are silent and do not rebuke. Then you are...

Acts 7:51—8:1a Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Stephen said to the people, the elders, and the scribes: “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always oppose the Holy Spirit; you are just like your ancestors. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one, who...

Our Lord is realistic.

Jesus I Trust in You!

Finding the peace of Christ in prayer.

John 20:1-9 On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him." So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb....

May we never forget the Cross of Christ.

At the Procession with Palms - Gospel Mk 11:1-10 When Jesus and his disciples drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately on entering it, you will find a colt tethered on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone should say to you, ‘Why are you doing...

Happy feast of the Annunciation and Happy Maryland Day.

A meditation given at Saint Patrick’s Rockville and Our Lady of Lourdes, Bethesda MD.

Luke 18:9-14. Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. "Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity--greedy, dishonest, adulterous--or even like...

Mark 12:28b-34. One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?" Jesus replied, "The first is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other c...

An Evening Prayer: O my God, I present myself before Thee at the end of another day, to offer Thee anew the homage of my heart. I humbly adore Thee, my Creator, my Redeemer, and my Judge! I believe in Thee because Thou art Truth itself; I hope in Thee because Thou art faithful to Thy promises; I love Thee because Thou art infinitely worthy of being loved; and for Thy sake I love my neighbor as mys...