O Mary, bright dawn of the new world,
Mother of the living,
to you do we entrust the cause of life.
Look down, O Mother,
upon the vast numbers of babies not ...
Meister Eckhart, the thirteenth-century German priest and mystic, famously wrote, “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is ‘thank you,’ it will ...
When my youngest was in elementary school, she asked about heaven and “eternity.” As I explained our belief that we would one day be with God forever, I was ...
How often do we, like the scribe in today’s Gospel, say to the Lord in prayer: “I will follow you wherever you go”? We may have the best of intentions and mean ...
It seems so straightforward: Jesus appoints his Apostles. There doesn’t seem to be much to delve into here. We know how this Gospel (Mark 3:13-19) turns out. ...
Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them,
"Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more
than all the other contributors to the treasury.
For they ...
Doubting Thomas. That title is a reminder, if ever there was one, that nicknames stick, even if the nickname isn’t necessarily warranted or fair. Sure, today’s ...
I love how Peter tends to respond to Jesus with such pure emotion. As in today’s scene, when he leaps out of his boat and races through the water toward Jesus; ...
One of my favorite places in Rome is Ponte Sant’Angelo — the Bridge of Angels — where gorgeous winged creatures line the path as you make your way toward Castle ...
For those of you who, like me, may be struggling in our Church these day, I thought I would share my Give Us This Day reflection from two weeks ago.
I ...
Hail to the Morning
There will be something,
anguish or elation,
that is peculiar to this day alone.
I rise from sleep and say:
Hail to the morning!
Come down ...
Right about this time in the Easter season, I begin to slip into complacency. The enormity of the resurrection starts to seem “ordinary,” one more thing I take ...
My reflection today in the January issue of Give Us This Day:
If you’ve ever had a serious fight with your spouse or parent or child, you know the pain of a ...
My reflection on the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene in the July issue of Give Us This Day:
St. Mary Magdalene has a feast! A new addition to the Church’s ...
Lighting the Advent wreath each night for prayers before dinner has long been my family’s tradition. The flickering candlelight growing brighter with each ...
My reflection from Give Us This Day today:
Truth and trust. I’m guessing that for most of us these two words stir up powerful emotions, whether close to the ...
My brief reflection from Give Us This Day earlier this week:
Whenever we take our children to Manhattan, we are confronted by the reality of "these least ...
My prayer reflection from the December issue of Give Us This Day:
Alma Redemptoris Mater - Sweet Mother of the Redeemer
Loving Mother of the Redeemer, gate ...
My reflection in today's Give Us This Day:
Jonah’s anger and attitude sound all too familiar. He is beside himself with frustration over what God has not done ...
My Gospel reflection from today's Give Us This Day:
I come from a big Irish-Italian family, one where the food was always delicious and plentiful. On any ...