Just as Jesus was about to die, he gathered his strength and cried out: "It is finished" (John 19:30). Continue »

What do you think about when you hear the word "covenant"? It sounds so religious, doesn’t it? Maybe a bit old-fashioned as well. Continue »

More than five hundred years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Jeremiah promised that God was going to make a "new covenant" with his people (Jeremiah 31:31). This new covenant would have a far greater reach and depth than the previous one. It was so different, in fact, that Jeremiah proclaimed: "The Lord has created a new thing upon the earth" (31:22). It would be as if God had re-created his people all over again. Continue »

With the advent of e-mail, social networking, and text messaging, it seems that the art of letter writing is slowly fading away. Gone are the days when we would sit at our desk, pen in hand, and compose a multi-page note expressing our thoughts and reflections to a faraway friend. Continue »

At every Sunday Mass, after the Creed, the celebrant leads the congregation in the Prayer of the Faithful. By this point, we have heard God’s word and listened to a homily about it. Now, as a community, we dare to address God directly: "Lord, hear our prayer!" Continue »

I never saw myself as a speaker for the missions. To me, mission speakers were always nuns or priests who spoke eloquently about their cause, effortlessly encouraging parishioners to make generous donations. Continue »

Once as a young altar boy, I caught a glimpse of heaven. It was late fall, and I had drawn the assignment of serving the 6 a.m. Mass before school. Continue »