The title of my homily is, “The Resurrection and the Eucharist.” It’s all bound up together. Let’s start with the Resurrection.  To be totally clear, that means Jesus really died, and his body came back to life. That is what we believe. There are a lot of interesting details about Jesus’ Risen Body, But what’s really, really important to pay attention to is this: What Jesus shows us, is what he promises to give us. Let me say that again so it sinks in: What Jesus shows us, is what he promises to give us. To put it another way: everything Jesus has, we too will have! You and I wi ..read more

All during Lent we were on a pilgrimage to the Cross.  Now we are at the empty tomb. The next step on our journey? Heaven. This is what our Faith is about: heaven. Resurrection -- Easter -- the seven sacraments:  Christ went through all that he went through, because he wants us with him in heaven. So: What is heaven? The Catechism of the Catholic Church says a number of things about heaven.  If we die in God’s grace and friendship, and after any needed purification – that is, Purgatory –  then we “live forever with Christ,”  and we are “like God for ever, for [we ..read more

 A few years ago, I made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, And I walked the real, original Way of the Cross  through the streets of Jerusalem. I was able to be at the place of the Last Supper,  and the Garden of Gethsemane and Golgotha, and the empty tomb. I was with other priests, and we had Mass – at Calvary! Right there! We had Mass at the empty tomb:  the very stone on which Jesus lay was our altar. Now, because it is God’s work and not merely a human work, the Mass is the Mass is the Mass, wherever and whenever. Every Mass brings us to Calvary – every single one. Never ..read more

 Listening to the Gospel we heard--the heart of our Faith -- Makes me fall silent. Maybe you, too. That’s why we do this every single year. If you’ve come this far in Lent,  it may be that you feel you missed the boat. You can still make Holy Week your Lent. If you ever said, I wish I knew my Faith better,  may I suggest that taking time during Holy Week, to come on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil? These days will help you go deeper into our Faith, because this week is the heart of our Faith. If you wish you’d gone to confession—it’s not too late.  There ..read more

 The first reading is about God’s Law:  God’s Ten Commandments, God’s “Rules.”  Rules are necessary, like it or not. And while we all love to complain about rules,  the truth is, we actually LOVE rules.  Why do I say that? Because people will ask me a question, and I’ll try to explain the Church’s teaching,  and you know what people come back with? “Just give me the rule, Father!” As I said, rules are useful. To quote the late Father Michael Seger,  who taught moral theology at the seminary in my time: “Rules exist to protect values”: “Thou shalt not kill ..read more

 ...Because we don't really believe it.  Do bishops believe priests are fathers?  Then why do they move priests around, as if they are branch managers? Priests are encouraged not to get attached to any particular parish; to expect to move on after a set term. Their brother priests encourage this and take it as normal. Do priests believe it? Some of us do, but as I explain in this post, I starting to think I'm in the minority, perhaps a small minority.  Do the faithful believe their pastors are fathers?  Sad to say, but I think far fewer really believe it than we realiz ..read more

 There are a lot of puzzles in the readings today.  What do we make of them? Mystery number one:  why would God tell Abraham to offer his only son Isaac as a sacrifice? To work it out, let’s eliminate the impossible. First: God did NOT want Abraham to sacrifice Isaac;  God had no NEED for Abraham to do that.  So where did this even come from? Remember, Abraham has been on a long journey of faith. Slow growth, two steps forward, one step back. Sound familiar? So it’s also very easy to understand why Abraham would get to a point where he’d say, I’m finally ready! Let ..read more

This question comes up a lot and most Catholics, including most clergy, feel awkward about the subject. It seems to many -- including Catholics -- to be rude and uncalled for. Most of us struggle to explain the matter. Explanations that don't result in hurt feelings are best, but that option isn't always available. What follows is offered both to be kind and to be clear. Pray for both me as the messenger, and yourself as the recipient! Several short answers: - To receive the Holy Eucharist is -- for Catholics -- a profound act of faith, that presupposes suitable preparation, and actually being ..read more

 What do you think was the most important day of your life? Was it the day you were born?  Or maybe when you graduated from school?  Or when you met your sweetheart? Or when you were married? Maybe you have four or five most important days:  when each of your children was born? Was mine when I was ordained as a priest? No: as very special as all those are,  none of those was the most important day of your life.  The most important day of your life – and mine –  was the day we were baptized; because that is when you and I received eternal life! You and I ..read more

 Skin diseases might be an odd thing to talk about at Mass.  But the point is that illnesses like these do more than make us sick.  They separate us from others.  Four years ago when we had the lockdowns in reaction to Covid,  among other things, many of us discovered  just how destructive isolation can be. That’s why Jesus told the man to go show himself to the priests,  so there would be no question of his freedom to return to the temple. Ash Wednesday is this week.  This is a good time to set the tone for our Lent. I’m going to tell you something ..read more