Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, This weekend marks the 60th World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Each year, the Gospel for this Sunday reflects on Jesus, who is the Good Shepherd, the perfect high priest who models for his ordained priests what their ministry, pastoral care, and holiness of life must be. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, also models the way of living for every vocation; married couples, parents, deacons, religious, all are called to shepherd and guide according to the example of the Good Shepherd. But in a very particular way, the Church calls on us to pray for…read more

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, “And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him.” The story of the two followers of Jesus walking the road to Emmaus, distressed at the Passion and uncertain about the news of the Resurrection, is familiar. The two disciples are very much a reflection of each Christian believer. We all pass through moments when our faith is shaken, or when we feel abandoned or confused. Conventional wisdom in such…read more

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, On this Divine Mercy Sunday, our attention is focused on the mercy of God, who constantly offers us the gift of forgiveness. Additionally, we recognize in this celebration our own duty to imitate the Lord’s mercy, especially through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. We are called to be people of mercy, of forgiveness, and to accept the merciful gaze of our Risen Savior. In our world today, there are many confused notions of mercy, and it is important to bring these into the light so that we can better understand that true…read more

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Alleluia! He is risen! Today we celebrate the joy of the Resurrection of Christ from the dead. On Easter Sunday in 2012, Pope Benedict XVI spoke these words to the people assembled in St. Peter’s Square: “And lo, on the dawn of the day after the Sabbath, the tomb is found empty. Jesus then shows himself to Mary Magdalene, to the other women, to his disciples. Faith is born anew, more alive and strong than ever, now invincible since it is based on a decisive experience: “Death with life contended: combat strangely ended! Life’s…read more

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, As we begin Holy Week today, we read the dual Gospels of our Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem and the Passion. While they are starkly different, they are intimately related, for they show the full spectrum of spiritual response to the presence of Jesus. In the entrance into Jerusalem, we see the exuberant celebration that comes from knowing the closeness of God to us, while in the Passion narrative, we will see indifference to the Lord, expressions of desire for God’s mercy, our betrayal of God’s love, and the confrontation with the reality of sin…read more