As we continue our Lenten journey, the prophet Jeremiah turns our attention to the new covenant God desires to establish with his people. “All, from least to greatest, will know the Lord. He will write the law on our hearts and forgive our evildoing and remember our sins no more.”... Read more

Here we are at the mid-point of our Lenten journey. During the past three weeks, we have been listening to the call of the prophets and Jesus himself: “Repent and believe the Good News.” Change your way of living. Today, in the midst of these voices for change, we hear t... Read more

The Temple was built as a house where God’s glory would dwell in the midst of his people. The buyers and sellers of offerings had compromise the sacredness of the Temple. Jesus’ zeal to restore its sacredness leads him to clear the Temple. But this parable-in-action had a deepe... Read more

Something remarkable happened on that mountain. Consider the possibility that it was not Jesus who changed but rather it was Peter, James and John who were transformed. Imagine that this account from Mark’s Gospel documents the experience of Peter, James and John as their eyes were o... Read more

In today’s Gospel, Jesus offers us a pattern that can enable us to get the most out of our Lent this year. We are told that the “Spirit sent Jesus out toward the desert where he stayed forty days, put to the test by Satan.” What did he do for forty days in the desert? He ... Read more

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT (March 26, 2023) St. Paul is very clear in today’s second reading. Because of our baptism, Jesus lives in us through the Holy Spirit. Because the Spirit dwells in us, even though our bodies are subject to death as a consequence of sin, our spirit... Read more

We just heard another of those wonderful stories found in John’s Gospel. Each story is told to teach us something, to get us to look deeper into life. This is a story of light and sight - about not seeing the light, being afraid to see the light, seeing the light, and tragically refusing to... Read more

Third Sunday of Lent (March 12, 2023) Lent is a time for us to encounter Jesus in a very personal way so that we deepen our baptismal consecration and commitment. John tells us that he wrote about the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman so that we “may believ... Read more

Second Sunday of Lent (March 5, 2023) Like Abraham in today’s first reading, we are on a journey. The circumstances of our lives are always changing. As we get older, we find that we can’t do things they way we used to, so we learn to do things differently.... Read more

1ST SUNDAY IN LENT (February 26, 2023) St. Matthew's Gospel provides details of the nature of the test that Jesus experienced in the desert: to be a different kind of Messiah, to find a quicker or more spectacular way to win people over, to employ a one-shot way of doing G... Read more

Salesian Sunday Reflection Fifth Sunday of Lent Today’s readings promise us a life that never dies if we live and believe in the Spirit of Jesus Christ who dwells in us. St. Francis de Sales reflects on these promises: “When the... Read more

In Jesus we begin to understand the wonder contained in the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Remember not the events of the past; see, I am doing something new.” That wonder takes on a personal face in the woman caught in adultery. Her recent past is all too evident; she was caugh... Read more

We have just heard Jesus tell us a very familiar story – a story of arrogance, foolishness, loss, and humility; a story of love which forgives and celebrates; a story of anger, hurt pride and invitation to learn. The father stands at the center of the story – a person filled wi... Read more

Today’s parable of the barren fig tree can make us very uncomfortable. What is Jesus telling us? God expects something from you; so get busy doing it? God certainly desires that we bear fruit. But it’s important that we remember that fruit comes not so much from what Read more

As we continue our Lenten journey, we hear the encouraging words which Francis de Sales wrote to us at the beginning of the Directory, quoting St. Paul: “My brothers (and sisters), whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord.&rdq... Read more

Isn’t it good to be reminded again that Jesus was tempted by Satan? The Scriptures tell us: Jesus is like us in all things, but sin. We can be tempted to say: “Of course, he didn’t sin; Jesus is God.” But that thinking denies the truth that the Scriptures take such ... Read more

As we continue our Lenten journey, the prophet Jeremiah turns our attention to the new covenant God desires to establish with his people. “All, from least to greatest, will know the Lord. He will write the law on our hearts and forgive our evildoing and remember our sins no more.”... Read more

Here we are at the mid-point of our Lenten journey. During the past three weeks, we have been listening to the call of the prophets and Jesus himself: “Repent and believe the Good News.” Change your way of living. Today, in the midst of these voices for change, we hear t... Read more

The Temple was built as a house where God’s glory would dwell in the midst of his people. The buyers and sellers of offerings had compromise the sacredness of the Temple. Jesus’ zeal to restore its sacredness leads him to clear the Temple. But this parable-in-action had a deepe... Read more

“Jesus was transfigured before their eyes.” Something remarkable happened on that mountain. Consider the possibility that it was not Jesus who changed but rather it was Peter, James and John who were transformed. Imagine that this account from Mark’s Gospe... Read more

In today’s Gospel, Jesus offers us a pattern that can enable us to get the most out of our Lent this year. We are told that the “Spirit sent Jesus out toward the desert where he stayed forty days, put to the test by Satan.” What did he do for forty days in the desert? He ... Read more

Rather than talk about what Francis de Sales has to say about living in the Spirit of God, we shall allow him to speak – or, in this case – to write for himself. “To live according to the spirit means to think, speak and act according to the virtues which reside in th... Read more

Blindness is cured by the touch of Jesus. Expressing our faith - being sources of the touch of Jesus in the lives of others - allows others to see and experience the healing power of Jesus, too. Jesus took the initiative in curing the blindness of the young man born blind. This miracle pro... Read more

From generation to generation, this is a timely (even a perennial) question, more often than not raised in moments of crisis and confusion or in the experience of suffering, tragedy, injustice or loss. Angry, frustrated and disillusioned, the Israelites - our spiritual ancestors - posed the quest... Read more

Jesus takes Peter, James and James’ brother John to a high mountain. There, before their eyes, Jesus is transfigured. They see his dazzling and radiant glory. They clearly see Jesus’ relationship with all that had come before in the divine history of salvation in the persons of Moses ... Read more

While Jesus was preparing to begin his public ministry – to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God – to be the kind of Messiah envisioned by His Father – to open up his mind and heart to the power and promise of the Holy Spirit – he was tempted. Tempted to tur... Read more

In Jesus we begin to understand the wonder contained in the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Remember not the events of the past; see, I am doing something new.” That wonder takes on a personal face in the woman caught in adultery. Her recent past is all too evident; she was caugh... Read more

We have just heard Jesus tell us a very familiar story – a story of arrogance, foolishness, loss, and humility; a story of love which forgives and celebrates; a story of anger, hurt pride and invitation to learn. The father stands at the center of the story – a person filled wi... Read more

Today’s parable of the barren fig tree can make us very uncomfortable. What is Jesus telling us? God expects something from you; so get busy doing it? God certainly desires that we bear fruit. But it’s important that we remember that fruit comes not so much from what we ... Read more

As we continue our Lenten journey, we hear the encouraging words which Francis de Sales wrote to us at the beginning of the Directory, quoting St. Paul: “My brothers (and sisters), whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord.” Like A... Read more

Isn’t it good to be reminded again that Jesus was tempted by Satan? The Scriptures tell us: Jesus is like us in all things, but sin. We can be tempted to say: “Of course, he didn’t sin; Jesus is God.” But that thinking denies the truth that the Scriptures take such ... Read more

As we continue our Lenten journey, the prophet Jeremiah turns our attention to the new covenant God desires to establish with his people. “All, from least to greatest, will know the Lord. He will write the law on our hearts and forgive our evildoing and remember our sins no more.”... Read more

Here we are at the mid-point of our Lenten journey. During the past three weeks, we have been listening to the call of the prophets and Jesus himself: “Repent and believe the Good News.” Change your way of living. Today, in the midst of these voices for change, we hear t... Read more

The Temple was built as a house where God’s glory would dwell in the midst of his people. The buyers and sellers of offerings had compromise the sacredness of the Temple. Jesus’ zeal to restore its sacredness leads him to clear the Temple. But this parable-in-action had a deepe... Read more

“Jesus was transfigured before their eyes.” Something remarkable happened on that mountain. Consider the possibility that it was not Jesus who changed but rather it was Peter, James and John who were transformed. Imagine that this account from Mark’s Gospe... Read more

In today’s Gospel, Jesus offers us a pattern that can enable us to get the most out of our Lent this year. We’re told that the “Spirit sent Jesus out toward the desert where he stayed forty days, put to the test by Satan.” What did he do for forty days in the desert... Read more

St. Paul is very clear in today’s second reading. Because of our baptism, Jesus lives in us through the Holy Spirit. Because the Spirit dwells in us, even though our bodies are subject to death as a consequence of sin, our spirit lives. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead will ra... Read more

We just heard another of those wonderful stories found in John’s Gospel. Each story is told to teach us something, to get us to look deeper into life. This is a story of light and sight - about not seeing the light, being afraid to see the light, seeing the light, and tragically refusing to... Read more

Lent is a time for us to encounter Jesus in a very personal way so that we deepen our baptismal consecration and commitment. John tells us that he wrote about the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman so that we “may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through ... Read more

Like Abraham in today’s first reading, we are on a journey. The circumstances of our lives are always changing. As we get older, we find that we can’t do things they way we used to, so we learn to do things differently. Change isn’t always easy; so, if we’re smart, ... Read more

We continue our Lenten journey today with the telling of one of the oldest stories in our ancient heritage - God’s creation of the first man and woman. The storyteller reminds us that the human tendency to want to “be like God” (to exercise our free will without any restrictions... Read more