by Father Caleb Buchanan “THE SAVING GRACE of God for us may be delayed but never denied.” I have heard a beautiful gospel song titled “His Grace Sometimes Be Delayed But Not Denied!” We gathered in the midnight darkness over two weeks ago and stood with the blessed in heaven who rejoiced in the words […]
Sunday Scriptures
Proclaim His Glory In Our Lives
by Father Anthony F. Raso JUST WHEN WE are ready to set sail and take out boats northeast, or maybe northwest, along comes the Word of God telling us to set sail due north, period. We think that we know where God wants us to go but it turns out that He wants us to […]
Mary’s Obedience Changed History
by Father Anthony F. Raso THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, and for that matter, throughout the past 2000 years, there has been a great love and fascination for that girl in the Gospel today. Mary was at that point about 12 or 13 years old and no doubt had the appearance of a girl in the eighth […]
Rejoice! Rejoice! The Wait Is Almost Over
by Father Anthony F. Raso THERE IS a wonderful scene in the film, “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” It opens showing the Roman soldiers, marching through Jerusalem, strutting their usual unpleasant stuff, oppressing the people and beating hope out of the souls of everyone. The people on the street seem utterly drained of all power […]
Nothing to Fear When Your Heart Belongs to God
by Father Anthony F. Raso IN THE FIFTH GRADE in Our Lady of Angels School, my best friend was Frankie. In many ways, Frankie and I formed a kind of “opposites attract” friendship: I was the second-smartest boy in the class (Yeah, “second-smartest” … I don’t think I’ve ever recovered from that. Anyway…) and Frankie, […]
A Season to Be Awake, Alert, Aware
by Msgr. Joseph Calise A FEW YEARS ago I was flying back from a funeral in Naples, Florida, to a funeral in New York. Actually, it would be better to say that I was trying to fly back. The airport that night was a series of problems which were compounded by the fact that I […]
Acknowledging Kingship Demands Loyalty
by Msgr. Joseph Calise It has often been said that sheep are stupid animals. In some ways, I suppose, that is correct. After all, there is little they know how to do except listen for the shepherd’s voice and stay close to one another, even if playing follow-the-leader will lead them to the shearers. Yet, […]
Gifts Are Meant to Be Used
by Msgr. Joseph Calise Several years ago I was visiting some friends for Christmas. After dinner it was time for our customary exchange of gifts. They presented me with a beautifully wrapped package that I opened very quickly. Unfortunately, they were there to watch. As soon as I opened the gift, I knew it was […]
Preparing for Life After This Life
by Msgr. Joseph Calise The long form of today’s second reading from Saint Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians ends with the words, “Console one another with this message.” Those words might seem standard enough until we put them into their context. In this section of the letter, Paul is talking about the final times and […]
Pride Isolates Us From God
by Father William R. Dulaney Stories of drivers, lost and too embarrassed or stubborn to ask for directions, amaze and amuse us. We chuckle and shake our heads in disbelief when we see someone, frustrated and enraged but too thick-headed to yell “help,” abandon a project. We’re disgusted with ourselves when we ignore good advice, […]