How did the son of a wealthy merchant become the town beggar? What would prompt a popular young bachelor to start talking dreamily about “Lady Poverty”? What would cause a carefree “King of Feasts” to abandon the party scene and spend his time rebuilding a ramshackle old chapel stone by stone? More »

The superscription calls this “a song of praise,” and no more description is needed. The Lord is praised for his power and glory, but even more for his love. More »

It doesn't take Doppler radar to reveal the storms in our lives. Apart from global terrorism and local violence, every family experiences turmoil: mismatched expectations, needy relatives, rebellious children, mounting debt, sudden unemployment, perplexing choices, beginnings and endings full of uncertainty. Yes, we are "battered by the waves . . . for the wind (is) against" us (Matthew 14:24). More »

Imagine a young father coming home from work. As he walks up the driveway, his three-year-old son spots him through the front window of their home. More »

Today’s feast [Sts. Peter and Paul] offers me the opportunity to meditate once again on Peter’s confession, the decisive moment in the journey of the disciples with Jesus. The synoptic gospels have it take place in the district of Caesarea Philippi (see Matthew 16:13-20; Mark 8:27-30; Luke 9:18-22). More »

As the new school year begins, parenting magazines, chat rooms, and talk shows come alive with suggestions for success in the schoolroom. There's enthusiasm, and often good advice, for ... More »

The gospel of the resurrection of Lazarus . . . concerns the last "sign" fulfilled by Jesus, after which the chief priests convened the Sanhedrin and deliberated killing him, and decided to kill the same Lazarus who was living proof of the divinity of Christ, the Lord of life and death. More »

Moses was frightened and daunted by the task God set out for him: to return to Egypt as an old man, to confront the authorities, and to lead the Hebrew people to a promised land. He questioned God about this choice, desperately trying to find a way to elude the mission. More »