Friday of Week 25 in Ordinary Time Ecc 3:1-11Lk 9:18-22 When I first read Ecclesiastes 3:1-11, there was something familiar; I knew it. I knew it from long before I knew HIM. Turns out it’s actually a famous 1960s folk-rock song called ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’ by The Byrds. Almost every single line is taken word-for-word... Continue Reading →
23 September, Wednesday — Travelling Light: Trusting God on the Journey
Sep 23 – Memorial for St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio), Priest St. Pio (1887-1968) was ordained when he was 22. He founded the House for the Relief of Suffering in 1956, a hospital that serves 60,000 a year. In the 1920s he started a series of prayer groups that continue today with over 400,000... Continue Reading →
20 September, Sunday — Save Us Lord, I Call Upon Your Name
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Isa 55:6-9Phi 1:20-24,27Mt 20:1-16 Christ will be glorified in my body, whether by my life or by my death. Life to me, of course, is Christ, but then death would bring me something more... As I write this, I have cried countless tears for my beloved husband. I have weeped and... Continue Reading →
15 August, Saturday — God Always Delivers
Aug 15 – Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mary is taken up body and soul into the glory of Heaven, and with God and in God she is Queen of Heaven and earth. And is she really so remote from us? The contrary is true. Precisely because she is with God... Continue Reading →
22 July, Wednesday — A Love Supreme
Jul 22 – Memorial for St. Mary Magdalene There is actually very little solid information about her, and both scholars and traditions differ on the interpretation of what we do know. She was a friend and follower of Jesus. Filled with sorrow over her sin, she anointed Christ, washed his feet with her hair. He... Continue Reading →
27 June, Saturday — A glimmer of hope
Jun 27 – Memorial for St. Cyril of Alexandria, bishop and Doctor of the Church Cyril (376–444) was the nephew of Theophilus the Patriarch. He was a monk and a priest who became Bishop of Alexandria, Egypt in 412, and later the Patriarch of Alexandria. He suppressed the Novatians. He worked at the Council of... Continue Reading →
8 June, Monday — Peace is an inside job
Monday of Week 10 in Ordinary Time 1 Kgs 17:1-6Mt 5:1-12 "Happy the peacemakers, they shall be called children of God." The Beatitudes, often referred to as the ‘new’ Ten Commandments, were spoken directly from the mouth of Christ. The depth of meaning of the Beatitudes, both individually and collectively, could be reflected on daily for... Continue Reading →
1 March, Sunday – Called and Loved, Called to Love
2nd Sunday of Lent Gen 12:1-42 Tim 1:8-10Mt 17:1-9 ...who has saved us and called us to be holy -- not because of anything we ourselves have done but for his own purpose and by his own grace. This grace had already been granted to us, in Christ Jesus. The 3 passages for this second... Continue Reading →
24 February, Tuesday — Being present in prayer
Tuesday of the 1st Week of Lent Isa 55:10-11Mt 6:7-15 "So you should pray like this:..." On a particularly cold Saturday a few weeks ago, a warning for ice was issued in the northeast region of the Netherlands. For some reason, I missed the warning and was therefore shocked when I slipped and fell almost... Continue Reading →
7 February, Saturday — Wisdom at the Heart of Life and Love
Saturday of Week 4 in Ordinary Time 1 Kgs 3:4-13Mk 6:30-34 Give your servant a heart to discern between good and evil... We are told in the Christian life to "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). While this maxim or rule... Continue Reading →
