Wednesday, August 19, 2009 By Terrance Callan Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time: Joshua  24:1-2, 15-17, 18; Psalm 34:2-3, 16-21; Ephesians 5:21-32; John 6:60-69 When we are confronted by a difficult choice, we study the issues involved and consider the consequences of different options. Sometimes this process of reflection makes it …

Thursday, August 13, 2009 By Father Kyle Schnippel In my last column the element of sacrifice in Jewish worship was discussed.  As Catholics, we see the Old Testament illuminating and clarifying the New Testament but with the passage of time, we have lost some important details that give us a …

Thursday, August 13, 2009 By Pat McDonough In the summer of 2007 I took 20 teens from St. Mary’s Parish in Manhasset, N.Y., to visit a small parish in Guatemala. A friend of mine, Father Anton Grech, a young Maltese priest, is the pastor of La Parroquia de Jesús Crucificado, …

Thursday, August 13, 2009 By Terrance Callan Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Proverbs 9:1-6; Psalm 34:2-3, 10-15; Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-8 When we try to overcome any difficulties we encounter, it can be helpful to analyze them, trying to see the precise nature of the difficulty. It can also be …

Wednesday, August 5, 2009 By Scott Mussari Every year on August 6, the Catholic church celebrates the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The significance of this particular event with regards to our religion is apparent in numerous ways. Number one, for example, is the initial recorded recognition and …

Wednesday, August 5, 2009 By Terrance Callan Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: 1 Kings 19:4-8; Ephesians 4:30-5:2; John 6:41-51 We often encounter obstacles that prevent us from simply being or doing what we want. At times such obstacles cause us to give up our initial goal. At other times we …

Wednesday, July 22, 2009 By Father Rob Waller Getting ready for a trip I tend to over pack and over plan. Early on I realize that I have more with me than I need or want. I waste energy arranging and re-arranging it and carrying it around, and I have …

Wednesday, July 22, 2009 By Father Timothy Schehr Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: 2 Kings 4:42-44; Psalm 145:10-18; Ephesians 4:1-6; John 6:1-15 How good a student would any one of us be in the Lord’s classroom? It might be comforting to know that even the twelve apostles struggled…at least in …

Thursday, July 16, 2009 By Pat McDonough Roseto Valfortore is a small Italian village outside of Rome. In 1882 Rosetans began leaving their homeland for the United States. By the dawn of the 20th century so many of its inhabitants had settled in the same rocky part of Pennsylvania, that …

Wednesday, July 15, 2009 By Father Timothy Schehr Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6; Ephesians 2:13-18; Mark 6:30-34 Every spring we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday. It’s the Fourth Sunday of Easter. But here it is the middle of summer, and we hear about Jesus …