On the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Jesus (John 9:1-41) reveals the possible hidden tragedy of self-delusion. “Surely we are not also blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so...
Early in the 20th century a married couple in Vermont bought a farm on the slope of a mountain in a remote, largely unpopulated area. A few weeks after moving in, they decided to go exploring, and walked down the hill behind their house, across the...
Without fail, from time to time, at least since about the year 1000 AD, self-appointed prophets of doom have predicted the imminent end of the world. Those who are more easily affected by predictions of doom lose the last shreds of their peace of...
To use a cliché we could say that the world and the Church so differ from each other as night and day. This analogy is intentional and revealing because it is first used by Christ who is the Light that shines in the darkness of the world. It is also...
Most people were outside that sultry evening of late August. There wasn’t much to do besides waiting and hoping; hoping and waiting. I swear that when the electric power was restored after two and half days of mounting miseries, there was a...
On the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, the readings are clearly about light: [Isaiah 9:1] “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.” [Matthew 4:16] “The...
Of all the seasons, I like summer best because there always seems to be an abundance of sunlight. Not only does it warm the body, it illuminates the beauties of nature and the wonders of God’s creation. During one weekday Mass the celebrant...
