May 29, 2022 (Final version) “He, Jesus, was lifted up and a cloud took him from their sight.” What did that look like? Actually, no one can tell us, and all we know are paintings from various imaginations. What we do know is that the presence of Jesus has morphed, has changed into a presenceContinue reading “Ascension Sunday“
Category Archives: Christian
Prayer: A Personal Response to God’s Presence
(A resource from Fr. Richard Mangini) By Father Armand Nigro, SJ 1975 The conviction I want to share with you now is that PRAYER IS A PERSONAL RESPONSE TO GOD’S PRESENCE. Let me explain this: Either we are more important than God or God is more important than we are. The answer is obvious. HeContinue reading “Prayer: A Personal Response to God’s Presence”
Third Sunday of Easter:
May 1, 2022 When I read the Gospel story last week, I said that it was the conclusion to the Gospel according to John, the original conclusion. Today, we read a second story, like an appendix. Whoever wrote this story is not clear when it was added. However, the story is saying: “There is oneContinue reading “Third Sunday of Easter: “
Holy Thursday: “Each moment is a new beginning”
April 14, 2022 As I began to reflect about our Holy Thursday mass this evening, I was thinking about my mother who died 19 years ago. When diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, we were told that she had about a month to live. So, I decided for the next four weeks to invite family members andContinue reading “Holy Thursday: “Each moment is a new beginning”“
“Contemplation Highest Form of Prayer, Jesuit Says”
by Religious News Service (Domestic Service). Friday, July 11, 1975. Page 8 DENVER (RNS) — “Contemplation is a form of prayer, probably the highest form of prayer,” according to Father Walter J. Burghardt, SJ recently. The Jesuit scholar from the Catholic University of America where he teaches historical theology and is editor of Theological Studies,Continue reading ““Contemplation Highest Form of Prayer, Jesuit Says” “
Second Sunday of Easter: “True faith is more than knowing the answers to someone else’s questions”
April 24, 2022 We should thank Thomas today because he asks questions and he has doubts. If more Catholics asked questions about their faith and their life, they would be more confident about both. Our catechism classes prepared us for answers to everything without teaching what were the questions. But true faith in God isContinue reading “Second Sunday of Easter: “True faith is more than knowing the answers to someone else’s questions”“
Fifth Sunday of Lent: “Dying once is sufficient…”
April 3, 2022 This is where we begin, this earth; but this is not where we end. While Jesus resuscitates Lazarus for a time, Lazarus will die. The gospels make no mention of Lazarus again. The very first words of Jesus today are: “This illness is not to end in death, but is for theContinue reading “Fifth Sunday of Lent: “Dying once is sufficient…”“
St. Ignatius Church Penance Service: “Help us to love, O God, as you love”
(Editor’s note: This is pure Father Richard Mangini. This is why he is so beloved. Love over fear, every time.) April 2022 I am not a great fan of whipping ourselves to death because we are human beings that fail. I believe that God is always present to us in our lives, in our hearts,Continue reading “St. Ignatius Church Penance Service: “Help us to love, O God, as you love”“
5th Ordinary Sunday: “You will be catching people for God.”
February 6, 2022 We grow up in a certain life setting, determined by place, by others, by culture and by language, by our parents’ circumstances. One reality is for sure, that we can feel love; its lack diminishes us; its presence enables us to grow and to be secure and to dream our future. InContinue reading “5th Ordinary Sunday: “You will be catching people for God.”“
4th Sunday in Ordinary Time: “All Creation communicates the wonder, the mystery, the complexity and the beauty of the divine”
January 30, 2022 Every Catholic knows the names of some of the Old Testament Prophets – like Isaiah and Jeremiah because the Catholic Church reads from their writings very often at Mass. You can Google the names of 10 modern prophets. You may have heard of some of their names: the American Jesuit Daniel Berrigan,Continue reading “4th Sunday in Ordinary Time: “All Creation communicates the wonder, the mystery, the complexity and the beauty of the divine””
Harvest and Hope 