The Living Temple
As we near the end of Advent, God begins to unfold His plan. David contemplates building a temple to God. But like so many of us, David is thinking in a small and limited way. God’s plan is much larger than we can comprehend. He confirms that David is theContinue Reading
Recognizing The Light
In today’s Gospel John the Baptizer tells us “there is one among you whom you do not recognize.” One verse before the beginning of today’s readings we hear “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Or as the Douay Rheims translation reads, “And theContinue Reading
New Priestly Coat of Arms
I was commissioned by a recently ordained priest to design a new coat of arms that incorporated his family’s traditional armorial bearings. design and rendering: Lawrence KlimeckiContinue Reading
God’s Herald
“John the Baptizer appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” John is the herald, calling us to prepare the way for the Lord. In the bible, the wilderness is the place where one encounters God. It is where Israel received the law whenContinue Reading
What is Advent?
We are in danger of losing the sense of the sacredness of Advent. Each year the “Christmas music” seems to begin a little earlier. Each year the marketers seem a little more aggressive in their efforts to get shoppers to spend more money and buy more things. And each yearContinue Reading
Gifts From God
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta was once staying with a community of sisters working with the Aborigines of Australia. She learned of a man who lived isolated from the community. Everyone ignored him and his house was disordered and dirty. Mother Teresa visited him and offered to clean his house,Continue Reading
Holy Places
Devout people of the Jewish faith are expected to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem at least once in their lives. Hindus annually descend upon the Ganges River for Kumbh Mela. And the Islamic Hajj dictates that all Muslims must visit Mecca if at all possible. But Christians do not believeContinue Reading
Remember Death
Imagine yourself on your deathbed. Today is your last day on earth and as you look back on your life, stripped of all its external trappings and pettiness, what remains important? At the end, when your day to day striving for success or achievements no longer matter, what is left?Continue Reading
Love of Neighbor is Love of God
English poet Leigh Hunt tells a story about a man named Abou ben Adhem. Abou woke up one night to the vision of an angel writing in a book. He asked the angel what he was writing and the angel said, “the name of those who love the lord.” “IsContinue Reading
Choosing Between God And Caesar
The question put to Jesus in today’s Gospel was not a question he was expected to answer. In the minds of the Pharisees and Herodians, there was no correct answer. The Pharisees were opposed to the tax while the Herodians favored it. In their narrow political view of the world,Continue Reading