I STILL think of last Sunday’s (March 20) Old Testament Reading on God’s presence through a burning bush. It’s a powerful image of God’s luminous presence, love, mercy, and wisdom….

NOWADAYS, people would tell me, “The world has so many problems, Father.” “That’s right,” I would respond, “We’re living in a challenging and distressing time — the pandemic, the war…

ANY change is difficult to do and accept. Yet, it’s the only way to transform hearts and minds. It’s the only way to achieve and maintain peace and justice in…

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, causing the horrific destruction of human lives and the country, has stunned the world. The Holy Father calls it diabolical and urges us all to pray…

AN old Cherokee story goes like this: An old man says to his grandson, “There’s a fight going on inside of me. It’s a terrible fight between two wolves. One…

AT times, the thoughts of past scholars are striking because of how they relate to our present lives. Take, for example, this insight of William Barclay (biblical scholar and theologian)…

Reading Thomas Merton’s s letters in the book Thomas Merton, A Life in Letters has fascinated me because of the relevance of Merton’s thoughts in today’s world. As you may…

What makes education Catholic? It’s a worthy question that many of us—bishops, priests, and laypeople, especially Catholic school parents and students—should think about and answer. The question is not merely…

“The Lord’s call is not an intrusion of God in our freedom; it is not a ‘cage’ or a burden to be borne.  On the contrary, it is the loving…

“THE Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and…

There is so much richness of meanings in this Sunday’s (January 16) Gospel that it would be difficult to point out just one particular thrust. However, it’s understandable because the…

WHEN I was in the college seminary, an American Jesuit priest, Father Thomas Greene, wrote two books that became primers for developing a good prayer life. These books were Opening…

FOR my New Year’s message, I’m borrowing Fr. Terrence Klein’s reflection in America Magazine on the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” As many of you may know, this 1946 American…

A warm Christmas greeting to you and your families! I hope you’re enjoying the Christmas season and keeping yourselves in good health. This Sunday’s Feast of the Holy Family falls…

WE’RE in the fourth week of Advent, and it will be Christmas next week! Are you prepared? Prepared to welcome the celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus? As…

JOY! It’s the theme for this Third Sunday’s Advent Liturgy. As a matter of fact, the third Advent candle symbolizes hope. And so, this Sunday’s Scriptures speak loudly about it….

WE are now journeying into the Second Sunday of Advent. Last week, we lit the first candle that symbolizes hope—hope for the world and the Church in these challenging times!…

Nick Ortner of The Tapping Solution writes this story: “A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign…

I LIKE Gerald Darring’s down-to-earth description of the Kingdom of God in his book, To Love and Serve: Lectionary Based Meditations. He states: The Kingdom of God is a space….

THE Gospel Reading from Mark 13:24-32 this Sunday (November 14) provokes a sense of vigilance and urgency in us with the following words: Learn a lesson from the fig tree….

SOME of you must have heard of Pope Francis’ call for a “synod on synodality.” And you might have asked what it’s all about. First of all, synod (from Greek synodos, assembly)…

“Clarity is kindness,” Brene Brown, renowned author and speaker on emotional intelligence, would often say. She’s right. When things are “muddy” or our vision is blurred, we get confused and…

“Clarity is kindness,” Brene Brown, renowned author and speaker on emotional intelligence, would often say. She’s right. When things are “muddy” or our vision is blurred, we get confused and…

LIKE many of us, the wealthy man in this Sunday’s Gospel was searching for wisdom and direction in life. He was also concerned about his right relationship with God and personal…

IT’S a jubilee year in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. It’s because we are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the first California mission, Mission San Gabriel. Archbishop…

“AT times, not only are we hard on ourselves,” I told a group of friends, “We also treat others harder than Jesus would do to them.” They kept quiet for…

IN his reflection on this Sunday’s Gospel, Fr. Ron Rolheiser asks us to imagine four persons in a room: “The first is a powerful dictator who rules a country. His…

SOME past homilies of priests are etched in our minds, shaping the way we think and live. In my experience,  I remember two of them. One was from an American…

THIS Sunday’s First Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (35:4-7) strikes a chord in many of us: “Thus says the Lord: Say to those whose hearts are frightened:…

HOW do we keep trusting in God in every mundane struggle? We meet life’s painful realities day by day, whether when it’s seeing children being harshly separated from their parents…