A November of New Beginnings

This month of November begins a sort of countdown to the beginning of a new liturgical year. Before this month comes to a close we’ll have started our celebration of Advent. The Scriptures of these next Sundays focus on the “last things” and “end times.”

Keeping Company With the Right People

TAXES! NOBODY REALLY likes them, but when have you ever you complained to a cashier at the store about the sales tax you were charged on your purchases?

No Puzzling Over This Parable

As the earliest generations of Jesus’ disciples handed on the parables, they were careful not only to share the words of Jesus, but also to frame what the Teacher said in ways that would help us to make sense of them so that the message of the Gospel could make a difference in our lives.

What’s So Special About Dirt?

DIRT. NOT JUST ordinary dirt, but game-used dirt from Citifield. That’s what a dear friend gave me as a birthday present this year: a New York Mets souvenir ballpoint pen, filled with game-used dirt from Citifield, complete with a certificate of authenticity.

Doing Our Part Is the First Step

“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,” Jesus tells His Apostles, “you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”

Real Love Takes The Risk

TWO WOMAN”S NAMES are indelibly marked into history for very different reasons: Marie Antoinette and Catherine “Kitty” Genovese.

Looking Ahead Is Good Practice

by Msgr. Joseph P. Calise ONE OF THE most enjoyable ministries in the diocese is Pre-Cana. For those who are not familiar with the program, a good explanation of what it hopes to accomplish is found in Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio’s letter introducing the program on the diocesan Pre-Cana website: www.pre-cana.org.

Year of Mercy Offers Twofold Call to Action

THE PHRASE, “I WAS just a bit of flotsam in the sea,” is recognizable to all “I Love Lucy” fans. It is from the episode titled, Lucy’s Last Birthday.

How Do We Calculate The Cost of the Kingdom?

GET-RICH-QUICK schemes seldom get anyone very rich, and that is very much the heart of the message in The Million Dollar Idea episode of the 1950s sitcom, “I Love Lucy.”