During the month of June, we will conclude another Easter Season with the celebration of Pentecost, followed by some major Solemnities: Holy Trinity, Corpus Christi (The Body & Blood of The Lord); the Sacred Heart of Jesus, The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, and Saints Peter & Paul. That is quite a line-up for any month of the year! These great liturgical celebrations speak to us of the importance in our lives of discipleship (following Jesus) and witness (being heralds of the Gospel). Jesus shares his life with us not only that we may […]
As 2016 draws to a close, I hope you are able to give thanks for the many ways God has been present and active in your life this year. In order to plan for a new year, it is helpful to take stock of my awareness of God’s presence and action in this past year. I’ll readily admit, I’m often so consumed with meeting the demands of the ‘present’ that I can tend to lose sight at times of what God is doing and how God has been answering all of my prayers. January 1st […]
Today is the feast day of a saint who has deep roots in Indiana, St. Mother Theodore Guerin. Mother Theodore was invited to come to Indiana by the first Bishop of Vincennes, The Most Reverend Simon Brute, who also was from France. Bishop Brute’s cause for sainthood was introduced several years ago. He helped form the first generation of priests for this country, and was a spiritual director and friend to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. He was appointed Bishop of Vincennes in 1834 and died in 1839. Mother Theodore arrived in Terre Haute, Indiana after Bishop […]
It is looking more like Christmas than the beginning of the Triduum at the Cheyenne Cathedral today! Despite the weather outside, I am grateful to have the business demands of these days finally behind me. It is a welcome moment to begin to prayerfully enter into the spirit of these holy days. I hope and pray your Lenten observance has helped you grow in virtue and holiness. Ultimately, these steps forward in the spiritual journey are a part of the ultimate goal of drawing nearer to Christ. I continue to pray for all of you, […]
By design, the Creator uses the things of this world to teach us of the things of heaven. Our practice of harvesting the fruits of the earth is meant to help us understand that God is also looking for a bountiful harvest from each of us! The fruitfulness of our lives has eternal implications. Farmers sow seeds with the expectation of reaping a harvest. Likewise, God creates each person in his own image and likeness, bestowing unique gifts upon every one with the expectation that our lives will advance the Kingdom of God. We are […]
As I prayed last night and again this morning in preparation for this Lenten journey, the phrase came to mind: “Less consumption, more production.” I doubt that mantra would fly for long on the lips of present presidential candidates, but it is not an economic formula, but rather has become my spiritual goal for this Lent. First and foremost, the Lenten journey draws our attention to the sin that is at work in our lives, and to be humbled and repentant. The Psalms speak well of the reality of sin, and our need for […]
Jesus said to the crowds: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) The call of God in every life is to love. Those who truly love know that it comes not only with great reward, but with a cost as well. It takes great energy to enter into the life of […]
Last evening I went out after a brief rain thinking it would be easy to pull weeds in my small flower garden. To my disappointment, I discovered only the surface was moist, and I needed a tool to break the ground deep enough to pull the weeds from their roots. I realized after the weeds were pulled that having broken the ground in the process, this would be a good time to give the flowers some water. I thought the rain was over for the evening. Then, around 9:45 pm a huge thunderstorm moved through, […]
Happy Easter! As always, the First Reading of the Great Easter Vigil is the creation account from the Book of Genesis. We are called back to our roots, to our Divine DNA. The One Who created everything we worship this Holy Night for He has now Redeemed and Restored the same creation. Everything comes from God’s creative love. Easter is celebrated in the Spring – and not by chance. As Cardinal Ratzinger reflects in his book, Behold the Pierced One, Jesus spoke often of “his hour” and that his ‘hour’ had not yet come on those occasions when […]
Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola. He was one of several great saints that lived during what could be called the Golden Age of the Church. Born in 1491, he was one of several saints the Lord raised up during the time of the Reformation. Other great saints of his time were some he formed as founder of the Society of Jesus, such as Francis Xavier and Aloysius Gonzaga. Other contemporary saints, just to name of few were St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Charles Borromeo, St. Philip […]