Oct. 2 Gospel: Memorial of the Guardian Angels The disciples approached Jesus...

Gospel for Sept. 14 – Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross  New Tes...

Gospel for Aug. 6 – The Transfiguration of the Lord   Jesus took Pe...

Gospel for Pentecost Sunday On the evening of that first day of the week, w...

Gospel for May 28 – The Ascension of the Lord: And he said to them, “Thus i...

Gospel for Easter Sunday On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came t...

Are we doing good deeds for the right reasons? Gospel for March 1, 2017, Ash ...

When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at...

First of all, don’t worry about what words to use when you begin to pray for som...

HOW CAN I KEEP GOD PRESENT IN MY LIFE DURING A HECTIC WORK/SCHOOL SCHEDULE? HOW ...

Some questions have come to me regarding the “dark night of the soul.” What does...

As part of this Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis designated a Holy Door at St...

La festividad de la Exaltación de la Santa Cruz, que se celebra el 14 de septiem...

To gather in Christ’s name means we want to come together to seek the will of Go...

On December 8, 2015, Pope Francis, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, ...

I don’t know of any time or any season in the year when it is comfortable to tal...

After the Easter eggs are found and the chocolate is gone, we need to ask oursel...

In the last column, I spoke about the need for, and the power of, intercession. ...

I wonder how many of us seriously believe in the power of prayer? Do you? In ord...

1st Sunday of Advent: November 29 In this first week of Advent, let us focus ...

What is meditation, really? Can we meditate in a way that is faithful to our Cat...

The feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, celebrated on Sept. 14 on the Chu...

So often I hear people say: “Oh, I wish I could make a retreat, but my schedule ...

Throughout the years preceding the establishment of the feast of the Body and Bl...

Honor your mother and ask her to lead you closer to her Son. She wants...

In this season of Lent, we experience the great graces of Holy Thursday – but th...

How to pray the Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross during L...

I don’t ‘get much’ out of Mass.” “I really wonder why I go.” “I go because I hav...

The call to forgiveness, to reconciliation, to peace. This is the message of Adv...

Bearing false witness? Well, that doesn’t apply to me. I have never been in a co...

Jesus told us clearly in John 14:6: “I am the way, and the truth and the life. N...

The Seventh Commandment, “Thou shall not steal,” tells us not to take for oursel...

Everyone asks themselves: What do I do with my life? We are free to choose whate...

We recently celebrated the greatest of feasts: Jesus’ resurrection from the dead...

There are two pivotal passages in John’s Gospel concerning the resurrection of C...

A few weeks ago, I came across an article that astounded me. You may have seen i...

In this season of Lent, I would like to ask you to consider a different approach...

With the first Sunday of Advent just over a month ago, the Church began its new ...

We are in the Advent season and I have a proposal to make. The Year of Faith end...

O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever. (Psalm 30:13) We give thank...

As I travel around this country speaking in so many parishes and dioceses, and a...

In our society today, we are inundated with so many material things and desires....

I want to offer you some reflections on a centuries-old custom in the Catholic C...

Fill the hearts of your faithful. Enkindle in us the fire of your love. Send for...

Before you read any further, go and get your Bible. First, read John 20: 1-29. I...

In this Year of Faith, let’s make Lent “count” in a particular way. Let me expla...

Yet even now,” says the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, w...

Praying at the manger, Devotions for the season I remember when I was a child...

This month is the first full month of the Year of Faith proclaimed by Pope Bened...

Since Oct. 7 is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, I want to devote my column ...

Diocese of Lansing, Year of Prayer The Apostle Paul reminds us to “pray uncea...

As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Lansing, and the Year of ...

Last month I wrote about the gift of faith: faith to believe that Christ died fo...

On the last Sunday of this month, May 27, we celebrate the great feast of Pentec...

In last month’s issue, I wrote about the mercy of God. Mercy is part of the reve...

I want to come back to a favorite passage of mine in Scripture as we enter this ...

So often we associate it with kindness, generosity or going the extra mile. Perh...

The word was made flesh. The very source of life, the creator of all things of u...

Computers, cell phones, iPads, iPods, Facebook, Twitter – all new technology, ne...

Recently, I read an article by Cardinal Francis George of Chicago in which he de...

Well, here we are at the height of the vacation season. Even if you are not goin...

On May 1, we celebrated the Feast of Divine Mercy and Pope John Paul II’s beatif...

It is May – the month of the Blessed Mother and the month in which we honor our ...

When I was about 9 or 10, I was asked to memorize the poem “Touch of the Master’...

Our emotions, given us by the Lord, are intended to serve – to serve the truth i...

Why should we forgive each other? Aren’t some things simply unforgivable? For...

The readings for the First Sunday of Advent are a marvelous “launching pad” for ...

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we...

During October, we celebrate some significant feast days: St. Therese of the Chi...

This month, we are going to do a bit of a different reflection. June is so rich ...

To begin this month’s spiritual journey, read the Gospel of John, chapter 20. ...

"Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteous...

"Great crowds were traveling with Jesus and he turned and addressed them, ‘If an...

Somewhere between 1942 and 1945, my uncles made several visits home from the war...

On Nov. 22, we bring the church year to a close with the celebration of the Feas...

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we...

"On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the o...

This month, I want to take another look at the issue of faith in Christ. Times a...

Do we really know who we are in Christ?  Do we really understand our identi...

Exercises: How do we defeat temptation? One step that is little used is t...

When I was very young, I was introduced to the world of gasoline, grease, oil, b...

On the Wednesday after Easter, the church frequently uses the Gospel of Luke, Ch...

When I was a little girl of 6, I began 10 years of public school education. (No ...

Transitions are difficult. A few years ago, I moved from St Mary’s Parish in Wes...

"I am forgiven! I am forgiven! I am forgiven!" The young man had just stepped ou...

I was on my way with a friend to a retreat in the hills of Kentucky. We were goi...

Peace. How truly we need it! How truly our world needs it. Peace is a sign of ou...

I was stuck in a two-mile traffic jam, with my family in the back seat. Fortunat...

How wonderful it is to be the recipient of another’s kindness! Our group was hop...

Most of us have probably asked, “What am I going to do with my life today?” God ...

Once upon a time, an atheist moved in next to an elderly woman of deep faith. Sh...

I remember the first time I heard a talk about sex. Our teacher announced, “Toda...

Wedding celebrations can sure be a blast! I have been to hundreds as a priest an...

Last year I was with my family, getting ready to watch Narnia, when a preview of...

Ever have a day where Murphy’s Law seemed to reign? Murphy’s Law says, “Whatever...

Her silent tears fell down her cheeks. She had lost her child in early pregnancy...

People carry many anxieties: worries about the future; fears about family issues...

I remember the first time I experienced IM (For those who may be computer illite...

The cross of our Lord Jesus is inseparable from the life of a Christian. Even be...

Trusting the flip of a coin can be OK if you really do not have a particular des...

Learning for some people can be arduous and even unpleasant. I was visiting my n...

"I am forgiven! I am forgiven! I am forgiven!” The young man had just stepped ou...

Lent gives us an opportunity to renew the spirit of martyrdom. We often think of...

The campus students were waiting for a priest. I was a graduate student in bioch...

I was blessed to be born and raised a Catholic. When someone is born into a Cath...

I walked into the kitchen and there was my mother, sniffling and crying her eyes...

"En garde!'  Swashbuckler movies are fun to watch, but do you realize that ...

Sex is a hot topic in our society. I went through a grocery store checkout line ...

The other Sunday, I baptized a little girl who was just three days old. As I hel...

My heart was pounding with excitement and exhaustion. A group of us priests had ...

My heart was pounding with excitement and exhaustion. A group of us priests had ...

During my college days, religion, faith and science were hot topics. Whatever co...

I must admit that sometimes leftovers are the best. Take my mom’s spaghetti with...

This article could also be titled “How Video Games can help us overcome boredom ...

“What dirty windows we have here!” That was the comment of a group of workers wh...

One of my favorite images of Jesus is one where our risen Lord, with wounds visi...

Prayer has power. How good it is to hear someone say, “I am praying for you!” Wh...

I was once teaching a religion class about the importance of Mass when a few of ...

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” (Matt 6:9) “Do not take the Lo...

There are many people who say they believe in God, but love is a different story...

Have you ever been in a storm? This summer there were many terrible thunderstorm...

Not so long ago I heard a song that was popular over 25 years ago by Billy Joel....

History: In the roaring twenties when Europe was experiencing the serious dif...

When Jesus died and rose from the dead, He appeared to the disciples in the uppe...

In Lent we remember the journey of our Lord Jesus that led to His suffering and ...

I am not sure there is any kind of grief quite like the grief of a mother who ha...

This article is not about self-pity, although that would not be a bad topic for ...

Christmas is almost here. Most of us are very tempted to get caught up in the ru...

Suffering is a part of our lives. I had a grandmother who said she was never sic...

For our Spiritual Fitness this issue, I would like to offer a number of ways we ...

Music has always been a part of our praise and worship of God. Jesus and Mus...

5 steps to find out where God is leading you in life A few months ago, I got ...

As Christians, we believe that God has recreated – regenerated – us in Christ at...

Israel was delivered by God from Egypt, but the people were not all that happy a...

Going to the doctor is something we all must do from time to time. As one gets o...

We have just started a new year. As Christians, our new birth into the family of...

I just received a letter from a priest friend. Our friendship has been a great g...

I remember the few weeks after my senior prom when I was getting ready for the s...

Hey, Fr. Bill, come to the baseball game with us!” “Sorry, I got to work and ...

Many years ago, I visited a man in the hospital. He was going through a very dif...

Once there was a young man who was on the road to hell. I am not judging him – t...

I came across an incredible prayer by a seventh century Syrian mystic named John...

I was in Israel last year and had the chance to go to the Western Wall in Old Je...

Faith and science are two different realities that, for some reason or another, ...

It is related to peace. When our lives are out of balance, we generally experien...

This time of year we especially long for peace. In the noise and mad rush of thi...

“Lord, shall we strike with a sword?” (Luke 22:49) There is a tendency in mo...

I remember dealing with lots of stress in high school and college. Some students...

Jesus asks us to lift one another’s burdens during this Jubilee Year. The sp...

It seemed simple enough. A couple of days spent on a married couples’ retreat...

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom y...