ST. MAXIMILIAN KOLBE
In a world increasingly fractured by conflict and unrest, we yearn for role models to point us beyond the chaos and toward lasting hope. Some people have in fact revealed to us the potential of the human spirit, what it’s…
IT IS GOOD FOR US TO BE HERE
All three synoptic Gospels tell us of the Transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2–13, Luke 9:28–36). Jesus is on the Mount of Olives with his friends. They witness him start to glow with beams of light. Moses (the giver of the Law)…
VANITY AND THE FOOLISHNESS OF ACQUISITION
I once read that Liberace died with five furnished residences and warehouses full of expensive items for which he had no room in any of these residences! It is usually this sort of image that comes to mind when we…
MARY, MARTHA AND LAZARUS: THE OTHER HOLY FAMILY
Besides Mary, Joseph and Jesus, there is another exemplary family that played an important role in the life of Jesus. That is the family of his dear friends – Mary, Martha and Lazarus. John’s glimpse into their lives is both…
GUARDIANS OF HOPE: WORLD DAY FOR GRANDPARENTS AND THE ELDERLY
I am 68 years old. I can no longer pretend to be “late middle-aged.” I have gray hair and wake up in the morning with aches and pains. I can officially be described as elderly. But I am certainly not…
ST. ANNE AND ST. JOACHIM: A TIME NOT OUR OWN
Saints Anne and Joachim were parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and grandparents of Jesus. Though not mentioned in the Bible, their story has been part of the Catholic tradition for millennia. They were a religiously devout couple. They were…
ST. MARY MAGDALENE: BELOVED AND BELONGING
The feast of St. Mary Magdalene has a double meaning for me. In one sense, the person of Mary Magdalene is an enigma in many ways. There are lots of different ideas about who she was, what she experienced to…
CANADA DAY
In the last month I have been travelling around Ontario and last week I was in Calgary, Alberta. Our country is massive and oh so varied in topography. The Rockies were the backdrop when we visited Stoney Nakoda First Nation. So breathtaking! I…
CELEBRATING THE FEAST OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST
I was fortunate enough to work for several years at a parish that was richly diverse in culture. The church was located near a major airport and demographically expressed the patterns of immigration. For many years, it has been predominantly…
THE LEGACY OF SILENCE
June has been designated as National Indigenous History Month, with June 21 as National Indigenous Peoples Day. The painful history of European colonization and the subjugation of Indigenous peoples has caused almost irreparable harm to nations, communities, families and individuals…