Parish News

September 20, 2026

As Jesus was undertaking his public ministry, he called various disciples to travel with him and learn from him, so that after he was physically gone, they would keep the faith alive and spread the message of God’s continual love for humanity. He called these chosen disciples “Apostles” since they were sent out with a mission. They picked up where Jesus left off and that’s how Christianity spread over the centuries. Our Church today is the product of apostolic succession. We can trace our origins back to Christ and the apostles he formed. He charged them with the mission of continuing to proclaim the Good News and revealing God’s plan for the sake of the world. He charges us — the current day Body of Christ — to do the same.

Being members of the Church reminds us that we are in this human life together, as gifts to one another. That means we’re here for more than our own private good. We must always be concerned with the common good of others. The Church is the People of God, whose primary authority is God. Therefore, the role of the Church is to bring the kingdom of God into all world orders and to transform them to be more reflective of the nature of God, which can be characterized by mercy, justice, love and compassion, peace and harmonious relationships.

September 13, 2026

Our Catholic Church teaches that we humans were made in the image and likeness of God (see Genesis 1:26). And like the triune God, we are also relational. Humans are social creatures who are connected to one another and who flourish best in community. We truly do need one another. Each of us was physically born into a human family and those families make up the citizenry of the larger civil society. As members of that society, we are called to participate in the governing bodies that we humans have organized to help sustain all of us. But as Catholics, we are also members of the Catholic Church, which is a divinely instituted society, and we are expected to participate in that body as well.

We often refer to our Church as the “Body of Christ.” And as the Body of Christ, we are a living body, expected to provide authentic care for the whole person, just as Jesus did in his time on earth. Since the time of Jesus and throughout the ensuing centuries, the Catholic Church, as a living body with Christ as her head, has been a nurturing presence and a major global provider of hospitality, health care, education, scientific advances and great works of art, music, architecture and things of beauty. How did we come to take on that role? Stay with us.

September 6, 2026

Jesus was also fully human, becoming flesh in what we refer to as the “Incarnation.” He came into this world as a helpless infant, through a human mother, as we all did. He needed to eat and sleep. He needed to grow and learn. And like all humans, his body was destined to die. His life journey included family life, and his parents would have taught him his Jewish heritage and history, his sacred scriptures and the religious traditions and practices of his Jewish faith. He would have come to understand his need for God as well as his infinite value in God’s eyes. All this would have been affirmed by other members of his larger faith community.

But our Church teaches that Jesus was different from us in that he was more than just human. He discerned God’s plan for his life to be one of service: to teach about God; to heal diseases and disabilities; and to offer his life for the sins and ultimately the redemption of the world. The early Christians came to understand Jesus as having two natures: he was true God and true man, fully God and at the same time, fully human. His death and subsequent resurrection from death laid out the fuller pattern of life, which we know as the “Paschal Mystery.” Out of death comes a new and different kind of life.

August 30, 2026

In this series on Catholicism 101, we’ve already addressed the Divine. Now lets take a look at us humans. We humans are made up of various dimensions: we are physical, emotional, intellectual, relational, social and spiritual creatures. We move through the world in physical bodies. That requires us to adhere to all the restrictions and limitations of being confined to a human body in space and time. And our bodies, like all living matter, eventually atrophy, break down and die.

Over our lifetime we all traverse a pretty full emotional spectrum according to our given personalities, stages of life and life experiences. We humans are also designed to be rational creatures with intelligence, capable of abstract thinking, which is why we wrestle with ideas and concepts like truth, beauty, goodness, love, life, death and the Divine. We have free wills, which allows us the freedom to make our own choices. But we are imbued with a conscience which, when well cultivated, will draw us to act morally and to choose the good and loving things. We also have spiritual, immortal souls, which is our point of connection to the Divine. We are indeed complex beings.

August 23, 2026

Another source of Divine revelation is our faith practices and Tradition. The foundation of many of our faith practices once again can be attributed to our Jewish ancestors in faith. But after Jesus came on the scene, he offered new understandings of some of those practices and added some of his own. And he taught them to his disciples. And they taught them to the next generation of disciples. And that’s how we still have them today. Our faith was practiced in actions before it was put into writing.

The first Christians were Jews who followed Jewish religious practices and consulted their Hebrew scriptures — to us the Old Testament. Then Christians developed their own scriptures — the New Testament — and practices based upon the teachings, beliefs, healings and actions of Jesus, primarily handed down to us through the Gospel accounts. Together the Christian practices and writings make up what we call the “Sacred Deposit of Faith.” We accept both Scripture and Tradition as authentic and consistent sources of our knowledge of God’s will for humanity. It is the mission of our Catholic Church to safeguard all that God has revealed through Jesus.

August 16, 2026

How can we even know anything about God? We can only know what God is willing to reveal. God has revealed God’s own Self in the beauty, the goodness and the order of the created world. Just think for a minute about the variety and the diversity of plants, animals and sea life. It takes quite an imagination to come up with a giraffe, an anteater, a platypus, an armadillo or a giant squid. Unique species of plants and animals exist on earth which we humans have not yet even discovered.

God has also revealed God’s own Self through his actions in human history. Our Jewish ancestors in faith communicated their experiences with God, both by word of mouth and in writing. That’s how we got the Bible. Our scripture stories are a source of divine revelation, put into writing for the benefit of all posterity. We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to those who wrote, copied, compiled, preserved and distributed what they understood to be communications from the Divine — what we often call “the Word of God.” That’s why we call the contents of the Bible “scriptures.” They are to us sacred writings.

August 9, 2026

Jesus spoke of himself as Son and as one with his heavenly Father. The early Church came to believe that Jesus was the image of the invisible God. In his lifetime on earth, Jesus declared his mission was to bring God’s kingdom to the world. Jesus also spoke of a divine Advocate who would always be with God’s people in spirit to guide, teach and strengthen them through their human limitations and weaknesses. We call this advocate the Holy Spirit. Catholicism believes in a triune God, a Holy Trinity comprised of three Divine Persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit. How are we to understand this?

The best and brightest human minds over the centuries have tried to explain it. St. Augustine in the fourth century basically put it this way: the Father is not the Son; the Son is not the Spirit; the Spirit is not the Father; the Father is God; the Son is God; the Spirit is God; there is only one God. We could spend a lifetime pondering that and still be stumped. To our finite brains, the math does not add up! If we thought we understood all there is to know about God, then it wouldn’t be God! The best we can do is call it a mystery: something we cannot know everything about, but a subject matter that is so deep, there is always more to explore. So let’s just leave it at that. This is one of those things that just has to be accepted by faith.

August 2, 2026

Around the beginning of the first century of our Common Era (CE), a child was born in Bethlehem, into a Jewish family. He was purposefully given the name Jesus, which means “God saves.” The Jewish people were still awaiting a Messiah and many Jews in Jesus’ time came to believe he was that Messiah. When Jesus began his public ministry, he preached, taught and healed. He revealed much more about the God of Israel. Jesus spoke of God as Father, as loving divine Parent, as provider and protector of His human family.

Jesus elevated the understanding of his Jewish faith and his followers ran with that after his death and Resurrection. Those followers of Jesus came to call themselves Christians, since their founder was the Messiah, also called the Christ, the “anointed one.” They incorporated those concepts into Creedal statements, drafted in the early centuries that followed the beginning of Christianity. Around the turn of the first century CE, the term “catholic” was applied to the followers of and believers in Jesus, the Christ. Catholic is a Greek word meaning “universal.” Today, Catholicism is a world-wide religion that has now existed for almost 2,000 years.

July 26, 2026

Let’s begin this new series on Catholicism 101 at the beginning — starting at the top with the One we call God. We humans have always believed in some higher power which set all we see and know into motion. Ancient peoples believed in multiple gods and goddesses who orchestrated things in the heavens, which then manifested themselves on earth. But the Jews came to believe there was only one God, who was Lord of the universe. And that Lord was not just distant, wishy-washy and inaccessible. Rather, God was the author of all living things, which were declared to be good and which were created to work together harmoniously. All of creation was an expression of God’s magnanimous love.

To our Jewish ancestors in faith, God was personally interested in the well-being of humans, inviting them into a special relationship which was covenantal. He would be their God and they would be his people — his representatives on earth. He would remain faithful to them always, no matter what. He would ultimately give them guidelines for right living. He would send them prophetic voices when needed to get them back on the right track. And those voices predicted the coming of a Messiah who would guide the people back to the ways of the Divine.

July 19, 2026

Have you ever been asked to explain the basics of Catholicism to someone and you didn’t know where to begin? Not surprising. Have you ever been confused about something the Catholic Church teaches? Most likely. Our Church is about 2,000 years old. That’s a lot of history to unpack. So much of our theology, doctrine, guidelines and practices have evolved over all those centuries. Is it even possible to understand it all?

If we haven’t pursued ongoing learning about our faith throughout our adulthood, we might be stuck at a very rudimentary level of understanding of Catholicism. That’s why this column — C.A.R.E. Corner — exists. C.A.R.E. stands for Continuing Adult Religious Education. Every week, one little corner of our bulletin offers a two-paragraph, quick read in an attempt to inform and transform our understanding. With our adult intellect and life experience, we can continue to mature in our Catholic Christian faith. We all stand in need of ongoing catechesis. So this column is going to take us back to the basics. Join us weekly as we begin to tackle Catholicism 101.

July 12, 2026

When we began this column series back in March, we introduced the theme of taking a look at what Jesus said and did and how we are called to imitate those things as his disciples. God made us humans in his image and likeness (Genesis 1:26). We are to be his representatives on earth. So how can we live in the fullness of our humanity? By living like Jesus did. Even Jesus took his troubles, his needs and his wants to God in prayer. In his humanity, he too reached the limits of his human resources, just as we do. Jesus invites us to not just believe what he believed, but to live his lifestyle and his way of being. And that way of being — which is holy — is possible.

Perhaps we first need to let go of some of our attachments to worldly things in order to be ready to be transformed and configured to the mind and heart of Christ. Less dependence on external, physical things can pave the way for us to experience deeper, inner, spiritual things. It’s a never-ending, ongoing process. What Jesus said and did points us to what it means to put on the mind of Christ and live in imitation of Christ. There is no better way to live. As Christians, we’re reminded that we are to be the light of the world. So we must let our light shine for the benefit of others. The world we live in has always been in need of the holy.

July 5, 2026

Jesus, while speaking to a large crowd, asked his audience a very reasonable question: “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command?” (Luke 6:46) What did Jesus command? Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). Make disciples by baptizing and teaching them what he taught (see Matthew 28:19-20). Pray that God’s will be done on earth as in heaven (Matthew 6:10). Remain in him, as he remains in us — for without him we can do nothing (John 15:4-5). Love one another as he loves us (John 15:12).

These are challenging commands. But there are great benefits to being a disciple of Jesus Christ. If we believe that he is the Son of God, we will have life in his name (John 20:31). If we have faith in him, that faith will save us and bring us peace (Mark 5:34). If we acknowledge him before others, he will acknowledge us before his heavenly Father (Matthew 10:32). If we eat his flesh and drink his blood, we will have eternal life and be raised on the last day (John 6:54). And if we follow him, we will have more abundant life (John 10:10); his joy will be in us and our joy will be complete (John 15:11). And isn’t that what we all crave?

June 28, 2026

Jesus spent a lot of his public ministry healing. The people of his time believed that any disease, illness or disability was a result of sin, which put them outside the favor of God. But Jesus knew that wasn’t true. So he took up the business of healing and restoration, connecting healing to the forgiveness of sin. Chapters 8 and 9 of Matthew’s gospel give numerous examples of his healing ministry. Jesus cleansed a leper, freeing him from his physical disability, but also from social isolation. Jesus cured a Centurion’s servant of his paralysis. He healed Peter’s mother-in-law from a fever. He drove out demonic spirits from those who were possessed. He cured the woman who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years. He restored sight to the blind and speech to the mute.

Matthew 9:35-36 tells us Jesus went all around the towns and villages curing every disease and illness because his heart was moved with pity for all the hurting people. And after Jesus was gone, his disciples continued his ministry of healing to people who were hurting (see Acts 5:12-16). As modern day disciples, we must also be in the business of healing. We can’t necessarily cure with a word or a simple touch like Jesus did, but we can use our modern medical and healthcare advances to heal. And we can bring compassionate assistance to those in need, whether those needs are physical, emotional, relational, financial, or spiritual.

June 21, 2026

The disciples often referred to Jesus by the title of Rabbi. A rabbi was a teacher. And Jesus certainly did a lot of teaching — apparently with authority — according to Mark 1:22. Matthew’s gospel (28:19-20) wraps up with these words from Jesus to his disciples: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you …” Jesus’ commission to his closest followers was to invite more followers, to bring them into his church through baptism and then to teach them how to be disciples.

Our Church gets a lot of flack for being “political” and raising her voice in public affairs, trying to impress the generous and compassionate mind and heart of Christ into the minds and hearts of people around the world. But that’s what Jesus did and that’s what he said we are to do. He said he came to call sinners (Mark 2:17), so that is what we’re supposed to do. He called out the faults of those who sinned, so that’s what we’re supposed to do (Matt 18:15 +). He also forgave sin, and that’s another thing we’re supposed to teach and model to a very unforgiving world.

June 14, 2026

Jesus knew the importance of staying closely connected to his heavenly Father in order to know God’s will. This is what gave Jesus the strength to fulfill the mission he was given. He loved God with his entire being. He heard the word of God and observed it (see Luke 11:28). He shared the word of God everywhere he went, preaching it to anyone who would listen. He dedicated his earthly life for the sake of the gospel (see Mark 8:35). He modeled a servant mentality, which we can clearly see in John 13:4+ when he washed the feet of his disciples. He took up his cross — literally — and gave his own life as spiritual food for others.

Jesus wanted his followers to do the same. So he encouraged his disciples to stay close to him, to abide in him, to stay connected like branches to their life-giving Source — “the true vine” (John 15:1). He commissioned his disciples to teach others “to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:20) Jesus fed his flock while he was with them and he instructed Peter as his successor to do the same for any new disciples (John 21:15+). If we want to be model Christian disciples, we must do all of these as well.

June 7, 2026

Jesus said he came down from heaven, not to do his own will, but to do the will of God who sent him (see John 6:38). The gospel of John further clarifies in 6:40: “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life ….” What does it take to do the will of God, for which the reward is eternity with the Divine? It takes humility, receptivity and simplicity, which seem to come naturally to children (see Matthew 18:4).

Jesus was not saying we should all start acting very childish. We don’t need God’s help to do that — we’re very good at doing that on our own. He was saying we need to become child-like. Children are naturally curious; they bring awe and wonder to all things new; they recognize their dependence on others; and they are open to learning and being led. It seems this is what Jesus wanted his disciples to be, because “the kingdom of God belongs to” children (Mark 10:14). This is why Jesus said “whoever does the will of God … ” is my family. (Mark 3:35) If we are truly a part of God’s family, shouldn’t we bear some resemblance to our Divine Parent?

May 31, 2026

Prayer is another thing we can learn about from Jesus. If you plumb the depths of the gospels, you will find Jesus frequently engaging in prayer. Mark 1:35 reports that Jesus got up early, before dawn and went to a deserted place to pray. Sometimes he went up a mountain by himself to pray (Matthew 14:23). Other times, he seemed to just break into spontaneous praise of his Heavenly Father while in the midst of many disciples (Luke 10:21). After the Last Supper, Jesus went to the outdoor garden known as Gethsemane to pray (Mark 14:32). And he prayed in unidentified places while his disciples were looking on. Those disciples then said to him “Lord, teach us to pray …” (Luke 11:1)

In response, Jesus said “This is how you are to pray: Our Father in heaven …” (Matthew 6:9) We know the rest of that prayer. Jesus personally prayed to his Father in heaven in John 17. He prayed that his disciples would be kept safe from the evil one and that they would continue his mission of preaching God’s word. He also prayed for all of us who would come to believe in him through the efforts of his disciples. Jesus taught his disciples to first “forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance” (Mark 11:25) before they prayed and to also “pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44 ). If we want to learn how to pray and what to pray for, why not go right to the Source?

May 24, 2026

Prayer is another thing we can learn about from Jesus. If you plumb the depths of the gospels, you will find Jesus frequently engaging in prayer. Mark 1:35 reports that Jesus got up early, before dawn and went to a deserted place to pray. Sometimes he went up a mountain by himself to pray (Matthew 14:23). Other times, he seemed to just break into spontaneous praise of his Heavenly Father while in the midst of many disciples (Luke 10:21). After the Last Supper, Jesus went to the outdoor garden known as Gethsemane to pray (Mark 14:32). And he prayed in unidentified places while his disciples were looking on. Those disciples then said to him “Lord, teach us to pray …” (Luke 11:1)

In response, Jesus said “This is how you are to pray: Our Father in heaven …” (Matthew 6:9) We know the rest of that prayer. Jesus personally prayed to his Father in heaven in John 17. He prayed that his disciples would be kept safe from the evil one and that they would continue his mission of preaching God’s word. He also prayed for all of us who would come to believe in him through the efforts of his disciples. Jesus taught his disciples to first “forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance” (Mark 11:25) before they prayed and to also “pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44 ). If we want to learn how to pray and what to pray for, why not go right to the Source?

May 17, 2026

One distinct measure of love is the ability to forgive. We know Jesus was big on forgiveness and mercy. The world he lived in — not so much. The world we live in — not so much either. So Jesus said things like: “be reconciled with your brother” (Matthew 5:24); “settle with your opponent quickly” (Matthew 5:25); “love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44); and “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). Jesus wanted us to treat others with mercy (see Luke 10:37), which is what he did. The human powers-that-be of Jesus’ time seemed more inclined to judge people and their sins, to then bind them in those sins and hold them there in perpetuity. But are we any better at forgiveness?

Our news is filled with the many faults of our fellow humans, especially those who are public personas. Their foibles are considered to be newsworthy. We love to see rich and powerful people fall. We’re quick to condemn and slow to forgive. And once we know someone did something we find offensive, do we ever let go of that? To our minds, they tend to remain forever guilty. But Jesus said “Stop judging, that you may not be judged.” (Matthew 7:1) Judging is God’s job. But even Jesus said “I did not come to condemn the world …” (John 12:47), yet he certainly had every right to do just that. Would we like to be judged according to the same standards of judgment we impose on others? Probably not! As Christians, we’re supposed to model mercy to the magnitude that Jesus did. Forgiveness is truly a divine attribute.

May 10, 2026

We’ve all heard of the Golden Rule. Even Jesus basically quoted it as “the law” in Matthew 7:12: “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.” It would be a reasonable deduction then to assume you should NOT do to others whatever you would NOT have them do to you. These “rules” sound simple enough. But acting on them is something entirely different. We all tend to alter rules to our own liking and benefit. Even Jesus did that. But in typical Jesus fashion, he elevated the “rules” to what he believed would be to God’s liking and benefit. So he expected his followers to do the same, even if that meant loving their enemies and doing good to those who hated them.

Loving God with all your heart, your soul, your mind and your strength is tough enough. Great advice; easy to say — hard to do. But Jesus followed that up with “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:31) Also easy to say — but this one might be even harder to do. We weasel our way around this command by how we define who falls under the heading of “neighbor.” Yet, our commission is to love everyone as Jesus did — without fail — since technically, everyone is our neighbor. And there are so many ways to show love — through kindness, compassion, patience, gentleness and generosity — just to name a few.

May 3, 2026

As this column illustrated last week, we live in a world of power-mongering. Jesus lived in such a world as well. Has our human world ever been other than that? It’s one of the major ways God’s kingdom is different from the human kingdoms we build. Jesus reminded his disciples that those who are recognized as rulers tend to lord it over their subjects (Mark 10:42). The so-called “empire great ones” like to make their authority over others felt. But Jesus cautioned his disciples that such was not going to be the case among them. Instead, Jesus made it clear to his disciples that “whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant …” (Mark 10:42-44) .

Jesus had no trouble identifying those things of the secular world as opposed to those things of God’s world. So he advised those who questioned him in Mark 12:17 to “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” Of course, Jesus knew absolutely everything in the world belonged to God. But we humans like to give ourselves credit. Jesus’ words in Luke 12:15 to “Take care to guard against all greed …” constitute good advice for all generations. Jesus was not greedy and we shouldn’t be either.

April 26, 2026

The story of the multiplication of the loaves of bread and the fish that fed a huge crowd appears in all four gospel accounts. This story obviously revealed a very important lesson that the gospel writers wanted people to grasp about God. In Mark’s account (6:34+), the disciples wanted Jesus to dismiss the crowd so they could go and find their own food. But Jesus’ response to the disciples was “Give them some food yourselves.” (Mark 6:37) The disciples must have been mortified! That was unimaginable, given the size of the crowd. So Jesus showed them there was enough.

The food that Jesus blessed and then gave to his disciples to give to the people ended up being enough for all. According to Mark 6:42, “They all ate and were satisfied.” In fact, there were leftovers. Jesus believed in God’s great generosity, which he illustrated for his disciples so they could make that known to others. God created our earthly home to produce enough food to meet the basic needs of all of us. God has provided. Then why do so many go hungry? Because we humans create obstacles: we are competitive; we take more than we need; we want to control the supply; we use basic necessities as leverage. And that means many go without, even though there is enough. Our job as disciples is to share what God has provided for everyone. Perhaps that’s why Jesus said “Give to everyone who asks of you …” (Luke 6:30).

April 19, 2026

Let’s take a look at some additional words and actions from Jesus that can help form us as Christian disciples. The gospels are filled with the encouraging words of Jesus that follow the theme of harboring no fear. This comes in a variety of forms: “take courage” (Mark 6:50); “do not be afraid” (Matthew 28:10); “do not worry about your life” (Luke 12:22); “do not worry about tomorrow” (Matthew 6:34). In fact, there are hundreds of references throughout scripture that essentially tell people to not be afraid. Why is this so prevalent in scripture? Why does Jesus reprise this advice? There are many legitimate things to be afraid of. But we humans fear a lot of things we don’t need to, because they never actually materialize or they are out of our control and not worth worrying about.

Jesus wanted people to focus on the bigger picture, as he did. So he told them “do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul …” (Matthew 10:28). This is part of what we are still celebrating in this current Easter season. Jesus wanted people to remember that their lives were of great value, no matter what their society told them or how they were treated. That’s why Jesus called his disciples “friends” (John 15:15). Their lives mattered to God, who would keep them in his name (John 17:11). Can we convince ourselves to remember that ultimately God is in control of everything?

April 12, 2026

Jesus traveled throughout Israel, teaching people about illness and healing, about what was acceptable conduct on the Sabbath, about judgment and about forgiveness and mercy. He offered his own interpretation of the Mosaic law and of the role of the religious leaders. He offered his own take on the most important of the commandments and on how to pray. Jesus often used the phrase “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.” (Mark 4:9) Many likely found Jesus difficult to understand: he challenged their given point of view and spoke at levels above their basic understanding.

Luke’s gospel offers this take on Jesus’ words: “ … blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” (Luke 11:28) For Jesus, to truly hear required obedience to what was heard. So Jesus reminded his listeners that “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30) Jesus certainly did all that. And every disciple of his — including us — would have to learn over time that everything that came out of Jesus’ mouth was the “Word of God” and everything Jesus did was intended to manifest his all-encompassing love for God. We are called to follow his lead.

April 5, 2026

As Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee (Mark 1:16-17), he noticed some fishermen and he called them to “Come after me … .” Sometimes scripture uses the language of “Follow me.” (Mark 2:14) What was he asking of these fishermen and later, of Levi the tax collector? He was asking them to look beyond their former way of life and truly embrace the godly. They probably already thought they were following the godly. They were faithful Jews who likely prayed daily, attended their local synagogue every Sabbath and made pilgrimages to the Temple on the required annual feasts. What else did they need to do?

Jesus wanted them to share in his work and that meant to elevate God to be the first priority in their lives. That’s how Jesus lived. Everywhere he went, he taught people about God. He invited them to learn God’s ways and to enter more deeply into a trusting and loving relationship with God. Jesus made a call on the lives of these men who would become his closest disciples. He invited them to learn from him and then teach and model that to others – like us. Jesus was fulfilling the call on his life to preach and teach about his — and our — Heavenly Father. That call included his sacrificial death and resurrection to new life. That is what we are celebrating today. Happy Easter!

March 29, 2026

Scripture scholars believe that Mark’s gospel was the first one to make it into written form, so we’ll begin there. Among the first words Jesus uttered to anyone within earshot were “Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15). What does it mean to repent? The word “repent” means to turn around and follow a different path. It means your heart is in the wrong place and you need to think and behave differently. Jesus wanted people to hear what he was preaching – the “good news” – the gospel of God, that the kingdom of God was nearer than they thought. Jesus often said the kingdom of God was in their midst or was at hand (Mark 1:15). Our hands are never very far from the rest of our bodies. So Jesus must have been saying that the way things are in God’s world is possible in the here and now, in spite of all the undesirable external circumstances of life.

Life for most people in Jesus’s time was difficult. They lived under the oppressive regime of the Roman Empire. They had to pay taxes to help fund the Roman government. Every aspect of daily life was a struggle through the pain of physical labor and emotional distress. They could not have imagined that their lives were a reflection of the way things are in God’s world. But Jesus said “. . . the kingdom of God has come upon you …” (Matthew 12:28) and he intended to show them how that could be a reality even in the midst of their suffering.

March 22, 2026

If we attach the label of “Christian” to ourselves, it means that we should always be in the process of transforming our old self into a new self by more closely imitating Jesus Christ in our interior life and outward actions; what St. Thomas a Kempis called “imitatio Christi.” Our goal is to become a Christ mini-me if you will. And that comes with tremendous responsibility. The early Christians were originally called people of “the way” given that Jesus had said “I am the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14:6) When the label “Christian” was used to refer to those who were followers of Jesus, it was intended to be a very derogatory term. It referred to those people whose leader was shamefully executed as a common criminal. And who in their right mind would want to be associated with, much less a follower of, such a person?

By calling ourselves “Christian,” it means we are disciples of Christ. And a disciple is a follower, an apprentice, a student learner. And that learning process takes a lifetime. We are always works in progress. Fortunately God is very patient – and forgiving. To grow in discipleship requires taking on the mind, the speech and the actions of Jesus Christ. So this column is going to explore what Jesus said and did, and what he told us to do, in order to help us conform our lives to the greater imitation of Christ. Meet us back here next week and we’ll get started.

March 15, 2026

For several weeks, this column has been citing Scripture references to the work of the angels. In a nutshell, angels are God’s representatives and servants, obeying His commands and carrying out God’s will (see Psalm 103:20). In Matthew 25:31-32, Jesus told his audience that “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne and all the nations will be assembled before him.” He of course was referring to himself. Basically, we believe in the presence of and work of angels because Jesus did.

The Letter to the Hebrews makes very direct comparisons between the angels and Jesus as God’s begotten and beloved Son, who is higher than the angels. The angels are to worship the son (1:6) and it is only the son to whom God said “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.” (1:13) Hebrews 13:2 reminds us of the importance of hospitality and mutual love: “Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.” Angels are “ministering spirits sent to serve, for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation.” (1:14). That’s us. And what a gift that truly is!

March 8, 2026

The Catholic Church, through Scripture and Tradition, teaches that angels are real. They were created by God, through and for Christ. They are spiritual creatures, who have no bodies. They do not get sick or feel pain or need to eat or sleep. As spiritual beings, they are immortal and cannot die. That makes them superior to humans since they are greater in power and of a higher order than humans. Those angels in heaven cannot sin or be tempted to sin. Angels were created as angels and remain angels for eternity.

But like us humans, angels have intelligence and free will. They can become human in appearance as this column has noted from Scripture, which often depicts them as masculine in name and character to promote their authority. Angels are not all-knowing like God. They are also not omnipresent like God; they go from place to place as God sends them. We are to allow ourselves to be guided by angels, but we are not to worship them. Angels are manifestations of God’s presence and part of the great “cloud of witnesses” God has provided to help nurture our Christian life.

March 1, 2026

Let’s shift gears in our coverage of angels as helpers to humans and move to the dark side. Not all angels do the bidding of God, in spite of the fact that they were created to love and serve God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 391-395, explains that some freely chose to rebel against God, refused to submit to God’s dominion and were thereby cast out of heaven. Jesus said such creatures would go to the eternal fire prepared for them (Matthew 25:41). The Gospels describe the devil or Satan as the tempter (Matthew 4:3), a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44) and the prince of demons (Mark 3:22). In the face of temptation, we would be wise to invoke Jesus’ words in Matthew 4:10: “Get away, Satan!”

Scripture goes on to tell us it was Satan who incited Judas to betray Jesus, according to the gospel of Luke 22:3. It was Satan who induced Ananias to lie to the Holy Spirit, which essentially led to his death (Acts 5:3,5). St. Paul blamed an angel of Satan for the “thorn” in his flesh that plagued him for some time, according to 2 Corinthians 12:7. St. Peter, speaking of the devil as one who prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8), advises us that the devil, or any fallen angel, is not someone we want to be associated with. We are cautioned to remain vigilant and steadfast in faith in order to resist evil influences.

February 22, 2026

Since angels are supernatural beings, they can be involved in supernatural events. Scripture offers us several examples. Moses encountered the angel of the LORD in the fire flaming out of a burning bush, which was completely engulfed in flame, yet not consumed (Exodus 3:2). Exodus 13:21 manifests the presence of an angel of God in a pillar of cloud and fire, serving as a beacon to lead Israel away from slavery and Egypt. It was an angel who blocked the road so that Balaam’s donkey would not move. God then allowed the donkey to speak to Balaam and explain the angel presence (Numbers 22:22+).

When three friends of the prophet Daniel were thrown into the fiery furnace for not bowing down to the golden statue as required by a pagan king, it was an angel of the LORD who kept them safe (Daniel 3:46-51), according to God’s plan to deliver them and spare their lives. And it was an angel who had the strength to roll away the large stone that blocked the mouth of the tomb where Jesus had been laid after his death by crucifixion (Matthew 28:2).

February 15, 2026

The Book of Tobit is a bit of a one-stop shopping when it comes to the breadth and depth of the work of angels. This biblical short story unfolds the journey of Tobiah, the son of Tobit, a righteous man, who suffers blindness and sends his son on a long journey to retrieve money deposited years earlier with his kinsman. Tobiah finds a traveling companion, who just happens to be the archangel Raphael, known as a guide for travelers, a divine healer and a patron of the sick. But Tobiah is unaware of his companion’s true identity. Throughout the course of the story, Raphael leads Tobiah to the kinsman he has never met. He protects him along the way, given that travel alone was very dangerous.

Raphael also instructs Tobiah in prayer and acts as a mediator of prayer, carrying human prayers to God and God’s messages to humans. He facilitates the healing of both Tobiah’s bride, Sarah, and Tobiah’s father, Tobit. The angel Raphael also reveals God’s plans for Tobiah, Sarah and Tobit. All of the instructions Raphael gives Tobiah help move the story toward a happy ending. It is only at the end of the story that Raphael reveals his name to this family. But throughout the entire story, they all did their part to fulfill God’s plan for their lives — with a little help from a friend.

February 8, 2026

Angels have served God in a multitude of capacities. In the Old Testament, it was angels who guarded the entrance to the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24) after God expelled Adam and Eve. It was also angels who stood guard over the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:17+). It was usually an angel who was sent to destroy an enemy of Israel, for example, in the final plague on the people of Egypt prior to the Exodus (Exodus 12:29). Isaiah 6:7 tells us it was an angel who purged his sin using a burning ember, rendering him able to be God’s prophetic mouthpiece.

Matthew 13:39-43 tells us it is angels who will be sent to collect the evil-doers out of the world and to throw them into the fiery furnace, while the righteous will dwell in the kingdom of God. It is also angels who surround Jesus Christ when he sits upon his glorious throne (Matthew 25:31). Jesus said the angels would rejoice with God when sinners repent (Luke 15:10). And Hebrews 1:14 tells us that angels are ministering spirits, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation. We hope that includes us.

February 1, 2026

Angels can also teach us about the proper stance to bring to God in worship. The Book of Nehemiah 9:6 recalls a prayer by the Levitical priests. The prayer speaks of the heavenly hosts of angels bowing down before God. Bowing, then, is an appropriate posture to take in the presence of the Almighty. The Psalms speak of the appropriateness of all the angels blessing God (103:20) and praising God (148:2). If they bless and praise God, certainly we should as well.

In chapter 6 of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, Isaiah wrote of his call to prophecy. That call included angels crying out in verse 3 “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts.” These are words we continue to use in prayer during the Mass. Moving to the New Testament and the Book of Revelation (5:11-12, 14), many angels surround the throne of God and announce that it is the Lamb who is worthy of honor, glory and blessing. Our Church takes the worship of the angels in heaven to be the prototype of our own worship here on earth. We do not worship angels, as our worship is reserved for God alone. But we can certainly learn how to honor God with song and praise by following their lead.

January 25, 2026

Scripture also captures instances of angels offering us protection. It was angels who forced Lot and his family to leave just before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:15,17) so they would be spared. In Genesis 22, Abraham was attempting to follow-through in obedience to offer his beloved son back to God as a sacrificial offering. Just as Abraham poised the knife over Isaac, “the angel of the LORD” called to him to stop him from slaying his son (22:11-12). The angel’s protection of Isaac allowed for the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham that he would have many descendants who would be a blessing to the nations of the earth.

In Exodus 13:21, the angel of the LORD preceded the Israelites as they began to march out of Egypt toward freedom. When Pharaoh sent his army after Israel, the angel of God moved (Exodus 14:20-21) and went behind them so the Egyptian army could not come any closer to Israel, thus offering them protection and allowing them to escape from the pursuing army of Pharaoh. If we flip over to the New Testament, it was an angel who assured Paul, and all who were sailing with him, that they would wind up safely on land after getting caught in a hurricane force wind off the Isle of Crete. Ultimately they reached the shore of Malta safely and no one was lost (Acts 27:21-26 and 28:1).

January 18, 2026

Scripture also offers us stories of people who were led and guided by angels. An angel directed the apostle Philip (Acts 8:26) to catch up with an Ethiopian official and teach him what the Scriptures said about Jesus. After evangelizing, Philip then baptized the man who went happily on his way. Also in the Book of Acts (10:3), an angel told the Roman centurion Cornelius to send for Peter in Joppa. Peter came to him, preached about Jesus and then baptized Cornelius and his household.

Acts also gives us two accounts of angels opening the doors and leading Peter out of prison, once by himself and another time accompanied by other companions (12:7+ and 5:19). Psalm 91:11 tells us God “commands his angels with regard to you, to guard you wherever you go.” Jesus spoke of “little ones” having angels in heaven (Matthew 18:10) who represent them before God. We were all taught that we have a guardian angel looking over us. For many of us, that was possibly one of the first prayers we learned – the prayer requesting the aid of our Guardian angel: Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

January 11, 2026

In the past, angels did more than make proclamations and announcements of good news. They also acted as encouragers, strengthening and ministering to those to whom they were sent by God. In Genesis 21:14-18, Hagar and Ishmael were banished from Abraham’’s household. As they wandered in the wilderness, they were visited by an angel, who encouraged them to persevere and let go of their fear of being outcasts. In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah was on the run from Queen Jezebel, fearing for his life. He even prayed for death. But an angel provided food and water and got him to eat so that he would have the strength to endure the remainder of his long journey to Mt. Horeb to encounter God.

It was angels who ministered to Jesus after his 40 day fast in the desert (Matthew 4:11), which included a few sizable temptations by the devil. And in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:43), on the eve of his crucifixion when Jesus was in such agony, it was an angel who strengthened him to persevere. If Jesus needed help getting through some tough times, surely we mere mortals could benefit from a supernatural helping hand as well.

January 4, 2026

Scripture gives us many other instances of angels announcing good news to humans. It was an angel who told Abraham and Sarah that in spite of their long history of infertility, they would have a child (Genesis 18:10). An angel told the priest Zechariah that his previously barren wife Elizabeth would bear a son, which they were to name John, later known as John the Baptist (Luke 1:11-17). This encounter took place while Zechariah was serving in the sanctuary and the people were outside praying. The prophet Daniel was also engaged in prayer when he was visited by an angel who said he had come to Daniel to announce the answer to his prayer petition (Daniel 9:20-23).

It was also angels who told Mary Magdalene and some other female disciples that Jesus had been raised from the dead (Luke 24:4-12). They in turn told the apostles, which motivated Peter in disbelief to head to Jesus’ tomb. Peter indeed confirmed that news, but remained utterly amazed. And it was angels who told the apostles that Jesus had ascended into heaven and that he would someday return (Acts 1:10-11). Angels played a significant role in sharing divine revelations with both our Jewish and early Christian ancestors in faith.