Dear Friends in Christ,
Today the Gospel offers us the simple yet profound dialogue between Jesus and Simon Peter, a dialogue that we could make our own: in the midst of the stormy waters of this world, we strive to swim against the current, hoping that our Gospel proclamation will obtain a fruitful response.
READ MOREDear Friends in Christ,
Today, we see how Simeon, ignoring the winter's cold, is awaiting the arrival of the Messiah. Five hundred years before, when the Temple was starting to be built, there was such poverty in the country that its builders were highly discouraged. It was then when Haggai, the prophet, said: “Greater will be the glory of this house the latter more than the former —says the LORD of hosts; And in this place I will give you peace— oracle of the LORD of hosts.” (Hag 2:9); and added “I will shake all the nations, so that the treasures of all the nations will come in. And I will fill this house with glory” (Hag 2:7). In the place of “treasures of all nations,” St. Jerome translated: “the desired of all nations.”
READ MOREDear Friends in Christ,
Wikipedia defines doomscrolling as “the act of spending an excessive amount of time reading large quantities of news, particularly negative news, on the web and social media.” Have you ever been involved in doomscrolling? Be honest....most of us have done it and we most assuredly know that we can do better with our time; we can in fact be good stewards of the time that we spend on our smart phone. Yes, we must know the truth and we must know what is going on in the Church and the world so that we can more effectively pray and work for the Kingdom of God. But can we have better sources of news?
READ MOREDear Friends in Christ,
Today's reading helps us to consider the blessings that come when we enjoy the presence of Jesus and his Mother, Mary, in the midst of human events: “There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.” (Jn 2:1-2).
READ MOREDear Friends in Christ,
Today, we look at an adult Jesus. The child of the manger has grown to manhood and reaches that place in life when He must embark on the divine commission entrusted to Him by the Father. In preparation, He joins the candidates who have responded to John the Baptist in the Jordan River, who were submitting to baptism at his hands to wash away their sins.
READ MOREDear Friends in Christ,
Today, the prophet Isaiah encourages us: “Arise! Shine, for your light has come, the glory of the LORD has dawned upon you.” (Is 60:1) The light the prophet has seen is the star, which the Three Wise Men see in the east, like many other men. The Magi discover its meaning. Others consider it as something admirable, but that does not affect them. And, so, they do not react. The Three Wise Men realize the fact that, with the star, God is sending them an important message for which it is worthwhile leaving comfort and safety to take on the risks of an uncertain journey. The hope of finding the King leads them to follow the star, which the prophets had spoken of and which the people of Israel had been waiting for centuries.
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