In these days each morning at Mass I have been moved by the readings from the Letter to the Hebrews. Jesus our High Priest is the centerpiece of this masterful work from the New Testament. The writer tells us that Jesus learned “obedience from what he suffered” for us. He purchased our souls for God, and because of what Jesus did we have hope.In our coastal New England area it is easy to visualize an anchor holding a ship fast, despite the strength of the wind or waves. Jesus is the anchor tha...

I have always loved the readings of the Liturgy in the last couple weeks of November and the end of the liturgical year, particularly the book of Revelation. Just yesterday we began proclaiming the prophetic messages to the seven Churches. Those who are victorious I will feed from the tree of life!  We too want to stand one day robed in white, singing the song of the Lamb. In today's Strength for the Week, Pope Francis offers us some personal spiritual guidance on our journey. In the digital ma...

Way back in 1959, St. Paul Editions, as our publishing house was then called, compiled and printed a marvelous book: the Queen of Apostles Manual of Prayer. It wasn’t just another prayer book—at that time there were hundreds of those on the market—but literally a manual, a how-to, of conversation with God, learned by…praying. It was reprinted and revised more than once. By the time it received a new title, Queen of Apostles Prayer Book, it contained over 400 prayers and novenas. At least tha...

Zélie Martin sat upright in the chair of the doctor’s office on that never-to-be-forgotten day in October 1876. She waited patiently for his verdict. Without raising his eyes, the doctor cleared his throat and began writing out a prescription. He said, “Madame, what you have is a tumor.”“Please be direct with me, doctor. What is the use of the prescription?”“Really, no use at all,” admitted the doctor.“Will an operation help me?”“I’m afraid not, Madame. We have diagnosed you too late....

 “We are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they may be."USCCB on Solidarity Sunday, August 17, 2014 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Peace and blessing to you. I pray this message finds you all well in this summer season. Inspired by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ announcement of observing Sunday, August 17, as a Day of Prayer for peace in Iraq, I take this initiative ...

The Trinity can seem so far removed from us. As little children our teachers may have used the three leaves of a shamrock to help us understand, “one God in three Divine Persons.” The Trinity is a mystery, but that doesn’t mean that our awareness of the Trinity needs to stop with the shamrock. Even though we can't understand this mystery, it is highly “practical,” meaning it has a very profound effect on how we live our life. I’d like to share with you a few stories I have encountered rega...

I’ve noticed something about movie titles lately. So many of them contain the word dark. The Dark Knight Rises, Thor: The Dark World, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Dark Shadows, Zero Dark Thirty. Others might not use the word but their subject matter is dark: Divergent, The Hunger Games franchise, even the recent Noah film. As Christian moviegoers, how do we stay focused on the light?John’s Gospel says, “The light shines in darkness and the darkness did not overcome it” (Jn 1:5). All of our live...