HOME THOUGHTS FROM ‘HOME’ 6 THE END OF THE ROAD             Sabbatical time is winding down; I’ll be “back in the saddle” Wednesday morning after Labor Day.  The break has been beneficial both in terms of additional flexibility in prayer time, in writing, and in...

HOME THOUGHT FROM ‘HOME’ 4 IS THERE ROOM…? I remember sitting in an outdoor series of benches in Jerusalem, in front of what is called the “Garden Tomb” or “Gordon’s Tomb.”  It is just outside the Damascus Gate, and it was a 19th century attempt to shift attention...

HOME THOUGHTS FROM ‘HOME’ 3             I have arrived at the rectory of Most Holy Redeemer in Evergreen Park.  The journey here from the seminary in Mundelein was interesting and perhaps 45 minutes longer than it might have been, but I chose the way to arrive....

THE SCAPEGOAT AND THE LAMB OF GOD Being a goat may not always be a bad thing, in spite of the press it has received thanks to the famous parable of the sheep and goats at the end of Matthew 25.  Yes, goats represent those who fail to live according to the Corporal...

HOME THOUGHTS FROM “HOME” 2             If a sabbatical is supposed to be about renewal, and if renewal can take many forms, for me it means a time for praying, reading, writing, thinking, and a bit of golf.  Sometimes these can be structured and organized; sometimes,...

This Monday is marked by the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul.  It also marks (among other things; more later on that) the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.  There is a definite connection here—let’s explore it....

We have moved from the celebrational seasons of Advent and Christmas to “Ordinary Time.”  This is what the official description says about it:            Besides the times of the year that have their own...

Today’s Feast is a joy-filled one, and a very gentle and peace-filled one (to those who don’t know “the rest of the story” at this point).  It’s especially beautiful when one learns that Epiphany once marked THREE events:  the Magi, the Baptism, and the...

The word “epiphany” is a virtual transliteration from the Greek word for “revelation” or “manifestation.”  It’s not an accident that our Liturgy celebrates 3 such events in succession (and once upon a time, all on the same day):  the visit of the Magi, the...

The earliest images I have had of the Holy Family came from prayer cards that were (shall we say?) idealized:  Joseph gently rocking a plane over a board, Mary sitting and knitting, Jesus playing with the wood curls Joseph was creating.  One detail still...