Baptism of the Lord, Jan. 13 (Year C) Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11; Psalm 104; Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7; Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

---

VATICAN – This Christmas will people go to adore and be amazed by Jesus, or will they let themselves be detoured by distractions? Pope Francis asked.

VATICAN – Jesus himself showed that the best way to respond to scandal and divisiveness is to stay silent and pray, Pope Francis said Sept. 3 as he resumed his early morning Masses with invited guests.

VATICAN – A leading expert on the cloth believed to be the burial shroud of Jesus dismissed a new study claiming that blood patterns on the shroud are not consistent with those left by a crucified person.

Love your enemies, Jesus tells us. Apart from the direct command of God, it’s not obvious that loving enemies is a necessary or even desirable thing to do. They can and do hurt us, and hating them can motivate us in protecting ourselves.  

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 1 (Year B) Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24; Psalm 30; 2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15; Mark 5:21-43

Words are seldom minced from the pulpit of the Cornwallis Street Baptist Church in Halifax. A couple Sundays past was no different as pastor Rhonda Britton and the congregation tackled the recurring issue of racial discrimination. 

VATICAN – Pope Francis seems to be fixated on the wounds of Christ. And he has suggested that other Catholics might want to be as well.

VATICAN – Like Jesus cast out the merchants from the temple in Jerusalem, we should drive the desire for personal gain and advantage from our hearts, replacing it with love, Pope Francis said Sunday.

JERUSALEM – Protesting several recent actions they described as a "systematic campaign ... against the churches and the Christian community in the Holy Land," the heads of Christian churches announced Feb. 25 they were closing of the doors of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for an undisclosed period of time.

TURIN, Italy – New research indicates that the Shroud of Turin shows signs of blood from a torture victim, and undermines arguments that the reputed burial shroud of Jesus Christ was painted.

My wife and I, in our 40th year of married life, are renewing our vows this month at a special Mass in the Marian chapel of our home parish at London’s St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica.

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 16 (Year A) Isaiah 55:10-11; Psalm 65; Romans 8:18-23; Matthew 13:1-23

The Word of God is a dynamic and creative expression of the divine will, at work at every moment and in every place. It is not confined to the borders of the Church, nor can it be controlled by human beings. Its work is healing, guiding, inspiring and drawing all humanity back to its divine source.

Recently, I read an article by American author and speaker Joshua Harris titled “The Room.” In the article, the narrator finds himself in a small filing room, filled with catalogue cards that detail every moment of his life.

Second Sunday of Lent, March 12 (Year A) Genesis 12:1-4; Psalm 33; 2 Timothy 1:8b-10; Matthew 17:1-9

When we depart on a journey, preparations and planning are the order of the day.