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I think the Holy Spirit gets the short end of the stick. For all but about two Sundays the year (and Confirmation masses if we happen to stumble into one), the Spirit gets pushed aside for the far easier images of God that we hear whether of Jesus who walked among us or God the Father or Creator. Even this Sunday we will hear more about the teachings of Divine Mercy than the Spirit in many of our parishes. I also think that’s because we’re a bit scared of the Spirit in the Ch

There are many stories about appearances of the Resurrected Christ following his persecution, crucifixion, and burial. In the Gospel of John, St. Mary Magdalene meets the Risen Jesus at the tomb. St. Thomas the Apostle touches the hand, feet, and side wounds inflicted by the Crucifixion. Jesus enters the locked room where the Apostles were hiding. While fishing on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus greets the Apostles on the shore and invites them to breakfast. Each of these accounts

I am a very critical homily reviewer. My family has come to know my telltale signs of dissatisfaction, and they know to expect a full debrief of my feedback when we exit to the car after the dismissal. I’m not proud of this trait; in fact, I’m working actively to be more sympathetic to the priest delivering the homily. I know it cannot be easy to prepare a fresh interpretation or offer fresh perspective week after week to roughly the same audience who is looking for solace, g

Holy Thursday invites us into the very heart of the Christian life, to remember and live out the truths inherent in the events of that long, dark yet hopeful night: the Last Supper and first Eucharist, Jesus washing the apostles’ feet, Jesus praying in agony and surrender in the garden of Gethsemane, and finally, Jesus arrested by the Roman guards.   During the Last Supper, after he performed the radical act of washing his disciples’ feet—a job reserved for the lowest-ranking

Happy Palm Sunday! Easter is fast approaching, but before we enter the Triduum, we hear the full passion readings today. When I was younger, I was so excited as the crowds finally acknowledged Jesus for who He is, and I got a toy with the palm branches. As I have grown up, I silently keep the hope that comes with shouting “Hosanna,” which translates to “Save Us,” as I wave my palm.  The beauty of the Catholic faith is that we are indeed being saved! We are saved by the self-e

The story of the Annunciation is familiar to all of us - the moment of Mary’s great YES, a visit from the angel Gabriel, the prediction of Jesus’ name Emmanuel. We take from this Scripture passage songs and prayers that shape our understanding of who Mary and Christ are. In many ways, the Annunciation is Mary’s commissioning. It is the first time we acknowledge her as the Mother of God, and the first known time she responds to God’s call for her life.  "Mary of the Annunciati

Happy 5 th  Sunday of Lent. At this point in our Lenten journey if you are feeling like you are sitting in the middle of desert like Jesus might have felt, remember Resurrection Sunday is coming! On this Fifth Sunday of Lent, the readings confront us with a striking image: graves opening. In the book of Ezekiel, God promises, “I will open your graves and have you rise from them.” And in the Gospel of John, Jesus stands before the tomb of Lazarus and calls him back to life. At

We are past the midway point in Lent. Let us rejoice? We are officially on the second half of our desert journey. Let us rejoice? We are only three weeks from the end of our Lenten penances. Let us rejoice and be glad? We are encouraged to take a respite from penitential purple for joyful rose today. It is “Laetare Sunday,” and “laetare” means “rejoice.” We are supposed to look ahead in anticipation of the Resurrection. However, it is difficult to be an American in March of 2

Some scripture scholars question the literal reading of this passage. They specifically look at the five husband line and suggest that it could be referencing to a practice of the region worshiping local deities. Unsurprisingly, this woman was more easily cast as a woman with a sordid past over the centuries. Her story served the purpose of upholding the comfortable understandings of hierarchies of male and female, different branches of religious understanding, which sins are

Today’s Gospel reading was in the back of my mind as I spent the week with John, my four year-old. His two older sisters are away on a trip so he and I went on many adventures. John asks a lot of interesting questions, like any four year-old. There’s also a lot of “why, why, why” being asked when my attempts at answers are deemed insufficient. John will also repeat questions, day after day. My brain is constantly thinking about how I can answer questions better, more creative

Psychologists and social scientists talk about the importance of constant, positive reinforcement for children. It creates safety and builds trust for the child with its caregivers.   From the time I was a little girl, one of the most consistent messages from my mom was that I could tell her and my dad anything. I heard it many times in different ways over the years. Patty, you can tell dad and me anything. You don’t have to hide anything from us. Nothing is too big for dad a

This Sunday’s readings speak tenderly and powerfully to women of faith and service—those of us who lead, teach, accompany, organize, counsel, and quietly sustain the life of the Church. They call us back to the heart of our vocation: the daily choice to live and serve from within God’s wisdom. Sirach reminds us: “If you choose, you can keep the commandments… Before you are life and death, good and evil.”  These words are both empowering and grounding. A life of faith and serv

One of the people I most admired growing up was my great-aunt, a Benedictine sister. She had the warmth, joy, and no-nonsense directness I have come to associate with Benedictine sisters, many of whom are or have been teachers or nurses. It’s a specific kind of aura that grows from a life of hospitality, disciplined prayer, community living, and teaching littles their times tables. This is how I imagine the original Benedictine sister, Scholastica, to be. Less known than her

This past Friday, the 2026 Winter Olympic games commenced in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo; central, of course, to the Olympic games, aside from the pomp and circumstance of the opening ceremony, the vibrant expression of national pride, and the world-class, elite athleticism on display, is the Olympic flame. The flame was lit on November 26 th  in ancient Olympia, and has traveled throughout Italy for the past two months on its way to Milan. One quick look through the @milanoc

Today the psalm response gives us the Gospel in a single line: Blessed are the poor in spirit, the kingdom of heaven is theirs! (Psalm 145)  Jesus leaves the crowds behind and teaches the disciples eight key phrases that we know today as the Beatitudes. Today’s selected text only includes the Beatitudes themselves, though astute readers will remember that the Beatitudes begin the Sermon on the Mount in chapter 5 of Matthew’s Gospel. Today, however, our attention is draw to th

December offers a full moon as recompensefor the darkening, shorter days.  … Tonight, as the solstice arrives,the dark inhales the light and holds itin. Robert Cording, Advent Blues (2020). Robert Cording’s poem captures the ravenous darkness of winter—not just a state of being, but a force, that eats up the light, that gnaws away at our evenings, constricts our sunrises down to a few brief minutes of our morning commute. As the sun is replaced by a light-consuming dark, we s

To whom do I belong? As someone who resonates deeply with community and has found community to be quite life-giving, the idea of where I belong is not unimportant. Off the cuff, I would say I belong to my family, to my children and spouse. I belong to God, to my faith community. I belong to my friends, to those who have walked and grown with me over years and with whom I get the privilege to grow with. My belonging matters to me. It has helped to shape my identify, my priorit

I was interested in pursuing social work from a fairly young age. When I was in high school, my big sister was getting her Master’s in Social Work. It drew my attention then – deepening over time.  I loved the focus on providing care, honoring dignity, and meeting people’s needs. Volunteering in the community has been an important part of my life. Still, what really drew me to social work is the profession’s commitment to justice – to going upstream, affecting policy, and cha

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I love saying those words as many times as I can during the season. Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE everything about the Christmas season. I love Advent and the time it gives us to prepare our hearts for the birth of our Savior, then the Christmas season itself-Hello 12 Days of Christmas, and the reminder on Epiphany that “wise men still seek Him”. Even though I love this season, it is not my favorite because it is a constant reminder tha

Are you also a Gilmore Girls Fan like myself?  There was one episode in particular I found myself thinking as I started reflecting on what to write about.  Very early on the day of Rory’s 16th birthday, Lorelai crawls into bed with her daughter beginning to recount her delivery: “And though some have called it the most meaningful experience of your life, to me it was something more akin to doing the splits over a crate of dynamite…” Lorelai continues to tell Rory about the sc