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

We may be wondering about the price of eggs. Perhaps this year it will be more economical to fill plastic eggs with dollar bills. But I’m not talking here about the price of eggs. The customs of Lent vary greatly depending upon the century. Even the length of Lent has

John the Baptist did something entirely new. His name “Baptist” or “Baptizer” proves it. The word literally means one who “immerses in” or “submerges.” The dunking had nothing to do with common Jewish practices of ritual purity done by the individual. It was an entirely new way. John’s symbolic action

I love reading historical novels. Even though the characters are fictional, the setting, the dialogue, the plot give credibility. I feel the reality of history. I wonder if many of our ancestors could be characters in novels. Do you have a story like this one in your family background? My

Had you asked me a couple days ago what I would be doing today, I would have said “What I do every Sunday. Play piano for two Masses, probably visit in a care facility, read.” Some inches of snow on the roads and the car yanked me from my normal

Saint Paul really liked the Philippians, always thanking God for them and praying for them with “joy” and being in “partnership in the gospel” (Phil. 1:3). Paul is even confident that God who began a good work in them “will go on completing it until the Day of Jesus Christ.”