NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Today's first reading from 1 Kings is a favorite scripture of mine. Elijah is on the mountain of God, Horeb, where he is waiting for the Lord to pass by. A wind so strong it blows about rocks, an earthquake shakes the land, a fire passes by, and then a tiny whisper. For folks in south Louisiana several times a year, we hold our breath and wait to see where the models predict a hurricane will come ashore. Hurricanes are rated on their wind st

THE BLESSED MOTHER MARY, MOTHER OF GOD (Memorial) "Behold, your mother." John 19:27 In yesterday's Gospel, we heard Jesus say to us, "Receive the Holy Spirit." Today, we hear His words from the cross, "Behold, your mother." To receive the Spirit and Mary, we have to be open; we have to prepare a home for them in our hearts. Receiving the Spirit and beholding our Mother are actions. One of the definitions for receive means to act as a receptacle. Act. To take possession of the

PENTECOST SUNDAY Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created. And you shalt renew the face of the earth. Come, Holy Spirit. The power of the Holy Spirit shines a divine ray of light upon us. The Spirit of truth dwelling within us heals our wounds, refreshes, and washes clean our souls, melts the frozen heart, and guides steps that have gone astray. Come, Holy Spirit. Jesus says

SATURDAY OF THE SEVENTH WEEK OF EASTER The living word of God speaks to all of us differently. If you read today's Gospel, a particular word or verse will draw your attention; this is God speaking to you. After reading today's Gospel, for me, this is the verse God asks me to talk to Him about right now, "What concern is it of yours? You follow me?" John 21:22 Ah. There it is, my brothers and sisters, my stumbling block. You know the one, we all have them. It is the sin we co

FRIDAY OF THE SEVENTH WEEK OF EASTER Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you. Do you love me? Feed my lambs. Do you love me? Tend my sheep. Do you love me? Feed my sheep. Everything we've reflected on in these many weeks of Easter is coming together. If we love him, we will bring people to him. We will make disciples. We will feed His sheep. When we love the Lord, we desire to serve the Lord. The difficulty is that we have a million justifications for why we don't

THURSDAY OF THE SEVENTH WEEK OF EASTER In yesterday's readings, we heard the word "consecrate." To consecrate is to make sacred, or to dedicate formally to a divine purpose. In our faith, we consecrate altars, churches, chalices, the Eucharist, the sacred oils, and many other things that serve as part of our worship. Now I commend you to God and to that gracious word of his that can build you up and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated. Acts 20:32 Consecrat

WEDNESDAY OF THE SEVENTH WEEK OF EASTER Today's first reading blows me away. Paul is speaking to the Church of Ephesus before he leaves for Jerusalem. He knows this is the last time he will be with them. His final words are powerful and inspirational and apply to us today just as well as when Paul first spoke these words to the Church. I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock. (Acts 20:29) Let us not forget that the

TUESDAY OF THE SEVENTH WEEK OF EASTER Our lives should glorify the Father. In today's gospel, we hear Jesus proclaim that His work on earth was to glorify the Father. In the first reading, Paul is about to leave for Jerusalem, where he knows they will imprison him. To this Paul says, Yet I consider life of no importance to me, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the gospel of God's grace. Acts 20:24 Both Jesu

MONDAY OF THE SEVENTH WEEK OF EASTER Blessings to you on this Memorial Day. The National Moment of Remembrance encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in military service for our nation. While I found no concrete source for the reason 3 p.m. was chosen for the National Moment of Remembrance, my thoughts go to the sacrifice of the Lord on the cross, which we remem

THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD Go. Baptize. Teach. The Gospel for the Ascension of the Lord is from the Book of Matthew. Jesus takes the disciples up the mountain where they will witness His Ascension into Heaven. Before He leaves them, He commands three things of them. Go. Baptize. Teach. Go. The message is simple for us today; we must go out. Physically, and spiritually go out into the world with Christ's message. That might mean: writing a blog, serving a food bank, saying grac

SATURDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER Jesus's words today are some of my favorite in scripture,"ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete." (John 16:24) The Lord wishes to give us His joy, real joy. For a long time, I searched for happiness in this world. When I found the joy of living for and with Christ, I understood that not all prayers would be answered so that we may experience the pure joy Christ wishes to offer us. The pleasure we get from the things of

FRIDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER As someone who works for a Pregnancy Resource Center, today's Gospel passage reminds me of all the women and babies I have had the pleasure of serving over the last year. When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. John 16:21 In 2011, I went on my first March for Life. I can loo

THURSDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER In today's Gospel reading, Jesus says some things that confuse His disciples. "A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me." (John 16:16) Jesus knows the disciples are confused, so he gives them a little more to work with, " 'A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me'? Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices

WEDNESDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER I have a degree from Le Cordon Bleu in Patisserie and Baking. Most people ignore the last part and assume I'm a cook. I'm a baker. Baking requires following a recipe, a set of rules that, if not followed, will create a mess instead of a beautiful French pastry. It takes a particular type of person to have the patience and discipline to be a baker; some people are more comfortable as cooks, a little of this, a bit of that. Recipes are guid

TUESDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER I felt a little familiarity while reading today's first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. Paul and Silas are in jail when an earthquake strikes and frees them from their chains. Instead of walking out, they stay and speak the word of the Lord to the prisoners and the jailer. The jailer's family is baptized that night. And of course, Paul and Silas are invited into their home. My husband, Cris, refers to this whole situation as if feeli

MONDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER Many of the Sacred Scriptures require us to study, thus revealing their true meaning. Today's first reading from the Acts of the Apostles reads more like a postcard from an old friend. St. Luke speaks to us directly, telling of the disciples' journey from town to town. Along the river, they meet Lydia, a worshiper of God. The passage tells us that the Lord opens her heart so that she listens to the words Paul speaks to her. Lydia and her h

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER It had been eight weeks—the most extended break from Mass in my entire life. White banners and flowers adorned the altar, marking the Liturgical season of Easter. I noted that the last time we'd been in Mass, the decor was purple, the sanctuary was bare, it had still been Lent. I found the pew with two dots. As Cris and I knelt, the first sobs erupted out of me. I couldn't stop them, as much as I tried. Before the pandemic and the cancellation of Masses

SATURDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER You do not belong to the world. Interestingly, most of Christ's words seem so simple. You do not belong to the world. Christ has chosen you. What does that mean for you and me, in May of 2020 amidst a pandemic? It means that today and every day, we live as Christ taught us to live. We are willing to lay down our life for another. To put the good of the other before our desires, wants, and needs. As Christians, as Catholics, as believers

FRIDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER If you read yesterday's and today's Gospel, you might be feeling a bit of deja vu. Today's Gospel is shortened a bit from yesterday's to highlight another critical aspect of this reading: the Lord chooses us to be His friends. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit tha

THURSDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER Love one another as I love you. (John 15:12) We have heard this Scripture verse so many times, and these words seem so simple and easy to follow. The Lord gives us one command: love others. I could spend an hour in confession telling you all the ways I failed in this over the last several weeks. It is not that I want to disobey God's one request. I wake up every morning with every desire and intention to love others. And then, barely out o