Pentecost Sunday

This Sunday we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost. On this day, we see the fulfillment of the promise of Jesus to send the Holy Spirit upon his Apostles. And as we know, the Holy Spirit will transform the lives of these Apostles. These frightened men who abandoned Jesus at his Passion will be transformed into bold witnesses who clearly show that they not only understand the teaching of Jesus but also are willing to put his teaching into practice. (Read more…)

The Ascension of the Lord

Today, May 29th, we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, commemorating that day when Jesus was taken up to heaven, to the glory of his Father – 40 days after he rose from the dead and 10 days before the Feast of the Pentecost.  What is so significant or important about this feast?

Once, I was asked, “If Jesus loves us and lives forever, why did he leave?” It’s an excellent question. If we consider the Ascension simply in terms of Jesus leaving us, then we might wonder why He did it. (Read more…)

Gestures at the Altar

When I’m standing up there at the altar, I sometimes wish I could take a time-out and explain what I am doing or why I am doing it, because so much of what we do has long forgotten origins.

One example would be kissing or “reverencing” the altar. I’m kissing the “altar” which has crosses cut into its corners and a silver dollar sized circle that covers a few bone splinters taken from the catacombs of Rome, a reminder of our ancient roots and the blood of the martyrs. (Read more…)