We are brought to the Temple at a point in time when the Lord Jesus was twelve years of age. In this episode, Mary and Joseph “lose Jesus” for a time. As the story of Jesus’ disappearance is narrated, we see in Luke’s Gospel how Mary and Joseph suffer a terrible experience for three days, much like the three days of Jesus in the tomb.

Deacon Pashley's Christmas homily.

In the mind of many, the Christian God has been defeated, if He was ever real. God has been vanquished for good by the tiny virus Covid. If God were what He was supposed to be, He would have done away with the pandemic right away and saved the world from these nasty bugs. The wars in the Ukraine and the Middle East are more recent concrete proofs of God’s glaring impotence. But one hundred and eleven years ago tonight, on Christmas Eve 1914, an incredible event took place on the Western Front in France during WWI.

John the Baptist is the prophet during Advent. John announces in today’s readings that the Messiah is coming, and a Home Coming is about to begin. This event concerns us, each one of us in the pews today!

Promises are wonderful...When you promise something to someone, you’re giving part of yourself. When someone you trust promises that they will come through for you, you don’t feel alone. Your friend is promising you their presence. The Bible is filled with God’s promises to us. What does God promise?

Paraphrased and adapted from a commencement speech at a college many years ago that is relevant to our feast of Christ the King: Because here’s something else that’s weird but true: in the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. Everybody adores something or someone. The question is: what do I worship? I get to make that choice: I get to decide which or whom I worship. But I cannot not worship. And the only compelling reason for me choosing to worship Jesus Christ is that He is the only true God and that pretty much anything else I worship will eat me alive.

Jesus is giving us a discourse on the Mount of Olives; in it He spoke about the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD and the Second Coming. During this season in which the leaves are falling, the weather is changing, winter is on the horizon, and we are apporaching the end of the year, the Church invites us to think about the end of our lives.

The story of the prophet Elijah and the widow in the First Book of Kings we heard last Sunday is truly a most wonderful gem among the Old Testament's. Often, this particular story is used to speak about trust in God. In fact, that is why it was chosen to be the story before the story in the Gospel. But deep down, there is another theme at work here we don’t think of often enough, because it seems too commonplace and lame: kindness.

The election results are in. I thank God for having given me the desire and the motivation to participate in the democratic process. I am grateful to God for the blessing of being a citizen of this great nation. I fled communism 44 years ago on a boat, and here I am today as a proud citizen of this most blessed nation.

I came here in July 2018, more than 6 years ago. It was a providential decision by the Archbishop that has absolutely forced me to expedite my spiritual progress in a hurry. I was forced to step out of my complacent self and look up to heaven begging for help! Begging God for help because I was overwhelmed by what I saw! Gradually, problems became opportunities, fear gave place to trust, and dread yielded to confidence – in God!

A financial appeal letter from Fr. Luan.

One of the most common arguments against God and religion is the argument of suffering. People say that if God really existed, and if he really were a good God, he wouldn't allow so much suffering in the world. And when we hear that argument, our initial reaction is to agree. But that is at the very least most superficial and illogical argument.

There is a temptation to wonder if Jesus can heal a man who’s deaf, and he can perform all of the other miraculous healings we know he did, then why didn’t he heal everybody. - Deacon Pashley's homily, Sunday September 8th

I would like to share with you all this beautiful prayer by the mystic Adrienne von Speyr - a prayer recommended to us priests at this year's Priest Annual Retreat by Archbishop Peter Sartain. Please pray it and let it direct your life!

We are finishing chapter six of St. John’s Gospel. It is a most critical one and it consists of four sections – the feeding of the multitude, the walking on water, the Bread of Life discourse, and the reaction to the Bread of Life discourse. At this point, we have noticed a crowd of people who had tagged along with or Lord. But here, however, things start to become tricky for them.

For the past five Sunday we have been listening to and meditating on the Bread of Life discourse by our Blessed Lord from chapter 6 of St. John Gospel. Today, I invite you to reflect on the pope's Angelus message on the Bread of Life given in Rome after the Angelus on the 18th of August (last Sunday)!

In the Gospel this last Sunday, Chirst comes to encourage the people and to teach them that He is the Bread of Life who will sustain them in their pilgrimage toward eternal life.

Christ our Blessed Lord knows the human heart like nobody else. He knew the people who clamored for Him did not clamor for Him because they saw in Him the sign of God’s seal as proven by the miracles. They clamored for Him for more food, more bread, more fish. Deep down, they clamored for Him because they wanted to make Him their leader in their struggle against the Romans. They wanted Him to be their version of our George Washington. But Jesus didn't come to earth in order just to be a political and military leader. He had a much bigger agenda.

A long but necessary message from our country’s bishops! It’s the US Bishops’ Pronouncement on Medical Advance Directives.

Fr. Michael Schmitz is our contemporary version of Archbishop Fulton Sheen. His “The Bible in a Year” podcast has especially received much acclaim and attention, drawing a total of 660 million downloads as of 2023. His latest production of “The Bible in 10 minutes” has gone even more viral. In one day, there were 380 thousand downloads!