The first reading for this Sunday’s liturgy comes to us from the First Book of Kings and is part of the Elijah-Elisha tradition. I suspect that we are all probably familiar with the story and have heard more than one homilist tell us that the story exemplifies the need for us to be quiet in order to hear the voice of God in our lives. There is no denying that this is certainly...
According to traditions held sacred by both the members of the Franciscan Order (the Order of Friars Minor) and the Dominican Order (the Order of Preachers), Francesco Bernadone and Domingo de Guzman met during their lifetimes. The following tells the details of that meeting:
"In the summer of 1215 St. Francis with a small group of friars were in Rome seeking...
This feast day is forever etched in my mind as the day on which I and forty-nine other postulants began our investiture retreat. It was actually supposed to start on August 5, but the friar who had been asked to preach the retreat got stalled in an airport by a cancelled flight. So our novice master had gathered us in the chapel on that evening and asked us to begin our retreat...
“Ah, Lord GOD!” I said, “I do not know how to speak. I am too young!” (Jeremiah 1:6)
The Constitution of the United States stipulates that one must be at least 25 years of age to serve in the House of Representatives, 30 years of age to serve in the Senate, and 35 years of age to be President of the United States. Canon Law stipulates that a man must have...
For the past two Sundays we have been hearing farming stories from St. Matthew’s Gospel. Last week we heard about a man whose aim while sowing seed was not all that good. He spread seed on good ground and bad ground alike. Seems to us like this is simply a waste of good seed. Why throw it where we know it will not grow? Yet, according to Matthew, this farmer...