As a kid growing up, I was very much fascinated with the Ten Commandments. I always thought of them as “rules” that every good Christian needed to live by. These were basic “rules” everyone needed to follow to get to heaven. Of course, if you broke even one of those rules, you needed to take responsibility and apologize for that, which meant going to the sacrament of reconciliation. This was the fabric of what was meant to be a good and holy person, following the commandments and apologizing if you dared break any of them.
Sunday Scriptures
Called to Be Light in a World Longing for Hope
A personal reflection on eyesight, darkness, and faith, Father Alonzo Cox explores what it means to live as the light of Christ in service to others.
Living the Beatitudes Within Our Diocese
Just last month, we, as a diocesan community, said farewell to the active sisters of St. Mother Teresa of Kolkata’s Missionaries of Charity. We are still blessed to have the contemplative Missionary of Charity sisters here in the Diocese of Brooklyn. Personally, their departure was extremely emotional. They lived in the convent of my parish, where I serve as pastor.
Answering the Call to Be Fishers of Men
In light of today’s Gospel, wherein Jesus calls the disciples Peter, Andrew, James, and John to himself to serve his ministry, we Christians remind ourselves that the call to be fishers of men extends to the entire body of the faithful.
Baptism: Entryway to a Life Overwhelmed With Joy
Like the cross atop the Wonder Wheel every Christmas, the baptismal font in church signifies more than a bath where a ritual takes place.
Baptism and Jesus as Humanity’s Stand-In
By means of our passing through the waters of baptism, we arise, as the light of the world, radiating the glory of the triune God.
It Must Have Been in the Stars: Destiny in the Cosmos
Our own seeking of God leads us not to a nebulous construction of an impersonal deity, but to the person of Jesus Christ, in whom we find all for which our souls, minds, and hearts earnestly long.
Faith and Obedience: Joseph & Mary’s Example
By prayer and example, may we assist one another in our ministry as Christians and support one another in the desire to know God’s will for us and put it into action.
Joseph’s Dream: Embracing God’s Plan
In the Scriptures, dreams are often seen as communications from the Divine. They play an important part in the story of Joseph, the youngest of Jacob’s 12 sons, in the Book of Genesis, which begins the story of the Jewish people in Egypt.
John the Baptist: The Messenger and His Mission
If the Mightier One speaks this highly of John the Baptist we need to hear him.