Lent rolls around every year, but for most Christians, it is less like a birthday and more like a flu vaccination. We know Lent is necessary, that it’s good for us in much the same way vegetables might be. We’ve heard all the preachers’ clichés as to how it makes the joy of Easter possible, […]

I’d like to go back in the way back machine to January to January 8, 2022. We celebrated the baptism of Jesus. I spoke of our baptism, of the perks of being baptized.  I would like to repeat a little of my homily that I gave that day, although I know you all remember it

Jesus got baptized? Well, not really.The answer lies in some of the scripture we have heard these past weeks. Remember the second week of Advent when our locust eating friend, John the Baptist was at the river preaching repentance? He was performing the Jewish ritual of mikveh. It was a spiritual cleansing. Once a person

I can’t believe it is the 3rd week of Advent already. Only three weeks left of the year 2021. I’m very happy to be the celebrant of this mass, my first one as a priest. And I’m happy to be celebrating this week because JOY is the theme. The readings are full of joy and

In the gospel of Luke, we don’t get much of a physical description of John the Baptist. We get more of his place in history with the description of who was in political power at the time of John’s ministry. Writers Mark and Matthew give us the description, of how odd (to our way of

I hope when I was just proclaiming the gospel you said to yourself “Self, I think she is reading the same gospel we heard on the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary time. That one was written by Mark.” And I would tell you, you are correct! On that Sunday I talked about apocalyptic writings such as

If one had to describe Jesus from all that we have learned about him, from what we have experienced with him, I’m pretty sure “king” wouldn’t be among the descriptors. But here we are celebrating the feast of Christ the King, calling this man a king, a title he most certainly would have shunned, this

Way back in ancient times, I think it was in the 1990’s, Steve and I attended one of his office Christmas parties. These were fancy affairs, only one step removed from black tie. The cocktail hour was first. During that time people would decide where they would sit. Women would put their purses at that