A good strong verb, even a little one, adds color to a written composition. Which is better: (a) He made demands as if he were a king or (b) He pontificated? Your answer is a matter of opinion. One thing I’ve noticed about the Resurrection stories is that they have

Do you ever look forward to your favorite Scripture story, waiting for it to be read in church? Well, I do. I anticipate my favorite Gospel story on Wednesday in Easter Week. Remember the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus? Every year I sympathize with Cleopas’s

Easter isn’t over yet. It’s hardly begun—even if you’ve already devoured the chocolate bunny from your Easter basket. Every day this week is just like Easter. And each day is a solemnity with all the festivity of Easter Day. For the rest of the week, we sing the Gloria at

The Most Reverent Charles Jason Gordon wrote a very insightful article in the April 2025 issue of America. I hope you’ll read it. Reminding us of the four marks of the Church, (one, holy, Catholic, apostolic) he discusses the four “marks” of the synodal Church he observed at the Synod

The key word in Advent is “wait.”  We wait for Santa, loved Nativity stories, the first snowfall, Advent calendars’ last doors—and the final ribbon on the last package.  While we wait, our days (sometimes as few as 21) are so filled that we really don’t wait. We rush. But Lent

Daniel Berrigan quipped “Before you get serious about Jesus, first consider how good you are going to look on wood!” When teaching high school students, I used this line during Lent. Adolescents, as you know, are very conscious of their looks. Already on Ash Wednesday, some were worried about the

I am re-reading Ron Rolheiser’s book The Passion and the Cross this Lent. Each page prepares me to listen to the Passion Narratives read during Holy Week with more intent. Called “the ultimate revelation of God,” the cross will tell us who God is. What does the cross reveal about

We know that Mary told the Angel Gabriel when asked to be the mother of the Son of God Most High, “Let it be done to me as you say” (Lk 1:38). While such a response emanated from the depths of Mary’s spirituality, I wonder whether this was a frequent

I’m already looking forward to Easter, so late in April this year. But now is the time to focus on the Passion of Jesus Christ. Do I believe Jesus’ cause, loving neighbors and enemies, is more important than anything else? No one is spared suffering, so we offer to God

The first rays of dawn revealed a mountain range that had not existed the night before. The image was something totally new—snow-capped hills like the foothills of the Rockies. Was I awakening in a cabin in Glacier National Park? I had seen this morning sky years ago when mountains were