Shawn The Baptist - Sunday Scriptures

Memorial of Pope St. Pius V St. Pius V is probably best known for the leading the Church through the reforms following the Council of Trent. In 1570 he promulgated an updated version of the prayers used at Mass, the so-called Missal of Pius V. This missal was in fact just an updating to the texts of Mass that had been in use almost unchanged since the time of Pope Gregory the Great in the 5th cent...

The Humility of Being a Sheep We tend to think of sheep as these adorable cuddly little fluff balls of cuteness. However, when you get right down to it, sheep really aren't all that cute. They actually smell bad and are rather unruly. When Jesus refers to his followers as sheep, it's not exactly a compliment. Yet it is the truth. He knows us. Sheep are not very bright. They have no idea how to fin...

To Teach, Sanctify, and Govern Today we celebrate what is often called "Good Shepherd Sunday" in reference to our Gospel reading. It is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Since this is also the Year for Priests as proclaimed by our Holy Father, I devoted my homily today to the mission of the priesthood. The priest has traditionally been charged with three sacred tasks, to teach, to sancti...

How to Handle the Hard Stuff "This is a hard saying. Who can accept it?" This is the reaction of the disciples of Jesus to his teaching on the Eucharist. Because many people were unable to "accept" what Jesus was saying, his own disciples left him...and Jesus let them go. He was even content the let the apostles leave as well. Although Peter doesn't understand any better than the others, he does g...

Happy Anniversary Pope Benedict Today marks the 5th anniversary of the election of our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI. On this day the Church throughout the world remembers him in prayer and thanks God for the gift of his faithful leadership. May we continue to be good sheep, following our good shepherd. Ad multos annos!

St. Peter Shows Us the Beauty of Repentance     In Jerusalem there is a church in honor of St. Peter called "St. Peter in Gallicantu." It sits on the location of the house of the high priests where Jesus was tried and St. Peter famously denied Our Lord. Why a church to commemorate this tragic event in the life of St. Peter? This church is all about repentance. In the crypt level are three icons, o...

This is Our Feast of Victory Everyone loves a good story. Some stories are just made up (see my previous post on the Clash of the Titans movie). Today we celebrate a story that is not only true, but the greatest story ever told. As the sequence for Mass sings, "Death and life fought bitterly for this wondrous victory. The Lord of Life who died, reigns glorified." As the popular Easter hymn sings,...

It's Easter! Now What? Now that Eater is finally here, you might be wondering..."now what?" It would be easy to go back to our normal routines. That's what Peter appears to be doing in the gospel today. Not knowing exactly what to do with this news of resurrection, he decides to go back to fishing. For those of us born again in the new life of Easter, there really is no going back. May we have the...

Christ the Lamb Has Saved the Sheep Easter Sunday and the 8 days that follow (the Octave of Easter) give us a rare treat of an additional chant for Mass. Right before the Alleluia we have the chanting of what is known as a sequence (See the Catholic Encyclopedia article for all the details). Of the four sequences that are still in use in the modern form of the Mass, none is more famous than the Ea...

Uncover the story of Good Friday in 1632 Oberammergau, a village struck by plague and poverty but united in faith.

At the Last Supper, when Jesus predicts his betrayal, the apostles respond with shock, "Who would do such a deed?" Perhaps me...perhaps you.

There are lots of reasons that people can fall away from the practice of regular confession. Here are some tips to make it less scary.

The key for the prodigal son was to stop, realize how far away he was from where he needed to be, and then deciding to do something about it.

Humility Leads to Healing In today's first reading, Naaman the Syrian gives us all an example of what we need to do if we desire healing from God. Despite being a high ranking official, he has the humility to admit his weakness and seek help. He perseveres despite being rejected by the king of Israel, passed off to some lowly prophet who won't even come out to meet him, and then being told to lite...

For both St. Ignatius and Moses, becoming aware and asking "Why?" ultimately led them to an encounter with God. The same can be true for us.

Measure for Measure Today's first reading from the prophet Daniel gives us a beautiful example of humility before God. When we humbly admit our sinfulness, it is then that God is able to show us his mercy. He would of course be just in condemning us, but Jesus instead teaches us that the Father is merciful. He then cautions us that, if we receive God's mercy and forgiveness, then we should also be...

Peculiar, Holy, and Perfect Praying over the scriptures today, I began wondering about what was meant by saying that we a people that God has made "peculiarly" his own. A little research and some dusting off of my Hebrew and Greek led me to some interesting insights into God's plan for our life. We are called to be not only peculiar, but holy, and perfect. That idea of being perfect is often troub...

The spiritual life develops similar to an Olympic athlete. You don't start with 8 flips and 5 twists skiing downhill. You start small.

Overcoming Spiritual Desolation with St. Ignatius Many people speak of the great joy they find in their relationship with God. You can see how alive they are with the Spirit. This is a truly beautiful gift from God. However, have you ever felt like God seemed distant, your prayer dry, with no love for the things of God? Sadly, many of us can relate more with the second category than the first. Yet...

We're On a Mission from God God tells us today through the prophet Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you." John Henry Cardinal Newman reminds us that this means we all have a special mission from God that is given to no other. It would be a great tragedy if we went through life without ever knowing our mission. The recent anniversary of the legalization of abortion in this country...

Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul

Atop the Washington Monument, the highest stone in the entire city bears the simple message, Laus Deo, "Praise be to God."

Monday of the 2nd Week in Ordinary Time

Rather than focus on one historical event such as Christmas or Easter, this season calls us to journey with Jesus though his public ministry.

Friday of the 1st Week in Ordinary Time