Is My Phylactery Showing?: 2023

Still, Small Voice—Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

1 Kings 19:9a, 10–13a; Romans 9:1–5; Matthew 14:22–33

I will confess to not always being the best listener. I’m easily distracted, and when my focus is on something, people really need to get my attention if they’re going to talk to me. Just the other day, my wife said to me, “Are you even listening to me?” To which I replied, “That’s a really strange way to start a conversation.” But seriously, saying anything to the back of my head or from another room is guaranteed to elicit many “uh huhs” and “okays” but rarely indicate communication. Nowadays, Gina will come in and say, “I need to tell you something,” so I can then turn around and give her my full attention. I’m not saying that it’s good for me to require that, but it is required. I’m trying to improve.

Jul

On Canes and Cannulas

The last three months have given me probably one of the best lessons of my life in terms of my own dependence on others. This time has revealed to me not only my own personal limitations, but also the grace of friendship, and the kindness of strangers.

About 3 months ago, I suddenly began having problems with my right hip.

Jul

Yoke Yourself to Him—Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

Revised 9 July 2023

Zechariah 9:9–10; Romans 8:9, 11–13; Matthew 11:25–30

One of my granddaughters used to have a real sense for or awareness of the mystical. When she was around 4, Gina was reading to her for the first time from a book of saints for girls. She listened with rapt attention to the stories of St. Clare and St. Thérèse, but when Gina came to St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, she said something rather odd. St.

Jun

The Sheep of His Flock—Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

Exodus 19:2–6a; Romans 5:6–11; Matthew 9:36–10:8

About 19 years ago, I was offered a contract position at HP working on a program that really fit right into my niche. And the manager who brought me on gave me better terms than what I had asked for or expected. In short, because he knew the value of my background and the freedom he had with his budget, he knew more than I did about what he could offer.

Apr

Jesus is Risen—Third Sunday of Easter (Cycle A)

Acts 2:14, 22–33; 1 Peter 1:17–21; Luke 24:13–35

I don’t know if you’ve heard, but apparently Jesus never really existed—or if He did, He’s just a copy of some other pagan god who already existed before Him. Have you heard this claim? It’s a favorite of contemporary atheists, and you might hear it during Easter or Christmas seasons on the History Channel, which “I prefer to call the Heresy Channel” when it comes to anything dealing with the Christian faith.

Apr

Exsultet (Easter Proclamation)

Mar

Just Ask—Third Sunday of Lent (Cycle A)

Exodus 17:3–7; Romans 5:1–2, 5–8; John 4:5–42

What would we do without water? Maybe a better question to ask is what would we do without easy access to water? For us here in the US, water is an afterthought. It’s piped directly into our homes, and we rarely have to worry about whether it’s drinkable or not. That’s not the case in many parts of the world, where having access to clean water is sometimes nonexistent.

Feb

The Way of Life and the Way of Death—Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

Sirach 15:15–20; 1 Cor. 2:6–10; Matt. 5:17–37

I’ll start today with a simple proposition of Catholic doctrine and go from there. There are four final realities, which the Church calls the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell. These are inescapable realities which all of us will face at the end of our time. My focus today is on the last of those realities.

Hell exists. It’s a reality.

Jan

Let's Stop Being Stupid—Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

Isaiah 49:3, 5-6; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34

Our first reading from Isaiah follows several chapters of Isaiah’s promises of deliverance to King Hezekiah and the words that the Lord has spoken about the Assyrian invaders. Now, the Lord speaks directly to Isaiah and makes him a promise—that he will raise him up to be a light to all nations, to restore not only Israel but all the nations.

Is My Phylactery Showing?

Faithful Catholic or modern-day pharisee? Sometimes I might be a bit of both.