Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Much can distract us from the main point tying today’s readings together. The gruesome torture and killing of seven brothers and their mother might lead us down the path of talking about religious persecution, or … Read More
Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time When I was eight, I joined the choir at my parish in Los Angeles because I was certain a talent scout would discover me and make me a star! I’m sure none of you had … Read More
Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time What about the ninety-nine sheep in today’s Gospel? Did they rejoice when their wayward companion came back? Or had they thought they had been ridden of him once and for all? An easy approach to … Read More
Mrs. Johnson sat at the Baldwin upright and played three notes in a row that sounded like the NBC chimes. Knees locked, hands clenched at my sides, I tried to match the sounds with my quavering voice. “Again,” she said. … Read More
One year, after my parents moved to a new state, I went to visit them for the Christmas holidays. We went to Mass on Christmas morning at their new parish. I was a little surprised at how poorly people sang. … Read More
Before the Second Vatican Council, it would have been unusual to hear people in the assembly singing. Although official church documents encouraged the assembly to sing, much of the music was in Latin. An even greater barrier, however, was a … Read More
We have all seen signs like “Do not litter” or “Keep off the grass.” These signs exist because people are littering and walking on the grass. The church has a “sign” like these. In a variety of forms, it says, … Read More
The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Sometimes I hear liturgical ministers say something like, “I’m not doing anything at Mass today because I wasn’t scheduled.” I’ll even hear something similar from clergy if they’re not concelebrating or assisting at the … Read More