The Gospel this Sunday is part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The “Beatitudes” are a reminder that we can count on God to provide for us as we live out our discipleship. In our mourning, humility, working for justice, and peacemaking we are “blessed” because we are proclaiming the Kingdom of God. We are comforted, shown mercy, and will see God. The Beatitudes challenge us to Gospel living and demonstrate that doing the will of God (which may involve suffering and sacrifice) is a life-giving joy that leads to the Kingdom of Heaven. We had a snowy Sunday last

This Sunday’s psalm refrain (“Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will”) challenges us to think and pray about how we live out our own discipleship. A new year brings an opportunity to make resolutions for better living. But before we make any big plans, we should pray that God’s plans for us are honored by our intentional listening, our docility, and our gracious reception of God’s love. Prayer that leads us to silence allows God to do the talking and gives us a chance to know what to speak. Trusting that God knows better than we do

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord signals the end of the Christmas season. This feast, along with the Epiphany and the Nativity celebrate the moments when Christ was made manifest to the world. From simple birth in Bethlehem to the visit of the magi to the baptism scene where God acknowledges his beloved Son, we are repeatedly assured that Christ is in our midst. God-made-man, Jesus is like us in all things but sin; therefore, He knows what it’s like to be you and me and He invites us to be more like Him. As we put away

On Friday, December 12 my 98-year-old godmother, Sally, passed away. A cousin on my mom’s side of the family, “Aunt Sally” held me on my baptism day, celebrated with me on my First Communion and Confirmation days, and prayed at my ordination where I was able to give her a “first blessing.” I brought her Communion when she was homebound, anointed her when she was sick, and gave her the last rites of the Church the day before she died. She was faithful, kind, and strong. As I thought about those sacramental moments with Aunt Sally, my mind went back

As we head into the third week of Advent, I am feeling great joy (appropriate as the Third Sunday is Gaudete [“rejoice”] Sunday). Last weekend was a marathon of joyful events in the life of our parish. I want to share some highlights so you can know how we celebrate God at work in the Saint Aloysius family of faith. Our teens and chaperones headed down to Kentucky with Chris Otis, our youth minister and Father Flavian for our annual “Project 1,000.” Your generosity filled stockings, helped with transportation costs, and made it possible for 1,000 children in one of

In all the years I spent working in education, the question from students that always made me smile (and suffer a bit of frustration at the same time) was: “Is this going to be on the final exam?” OK, I was guilty of the same query myself. In the different settings and stages of life we often ask the question, “what’s required here?” Whether it’s a job, a medical situation, or even a relationship, we want to know what we’re supposed to do and sometimes we are really asking: “what’s the minimum requirement?” John the Baptist deals with this when

“Hallow” (hallow.com) is a popular Catholic online site that offers practical ways to pray and stay focused on our relationship with Christ in the midst of our busy lives. As we make room in our hearts for Christ who comes at Christmas, I found Hallow’s short Advent prayers to be very helpful. I’m sharing them with you because I believe that they may provide a way to keep us centered and hopeful in these days when the world is so restless. Dear Lord, please allow me to embrace Advent in the way the Church intends: as a way to prepare

This weekend I offer a few words about Thanksgiving, the Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, and the relationship of the two events to the Eucharist. The nation’s observance of Thanksgiving provides an opportunity to reflect on the blessings God has given us. As the newcomers to America gave thanks for the new-found religious freedom, we pause from our labors to express our gratitude for what we have received from God. The word “Eucharist” has its roots in Greek and it means “thanksgiving.” It is the meal where we are drawn into the Paschal Mystery – the suffering,

As we get closer to the end of the liturgical year, our Sunday readings turn to the end times. The scenes are rife with natural disasters and pervasive turmoil; but the faithful need not fear according to Jesus in the Gospel of Luke (21:19): You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives. Our life together as a parish family is characterized by Gospel living, and as we get to the end of the liturgical and calendar years, I want to

Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his Body. ~ John 2:19-21 This Sunday we celebrate a building – The Archbasilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist in the Lateran, also called Saint John Lateran, or the Lateran Basilica for short. Although the pope now lives next to Saint Peter’s Basilica, Saint John Lateran is

Jesus said to the crowds: ‘Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life,

This Sunday’s Gospel is the parable of the prayer of the Pharisee and the tax collector. The Pharisees were known to be very devout worshippers of God who were often found at prayer in the temple. Therefore, it would make sense to assume that in the story it will be the Pharisee who will pray “better.” But the outcome is a bit of surprise because the tax collector, who, by virtue of his profession, was scorned by society, is the one whose prayer is genuine and humble. The issue here is each man’s relationship with God. The Pharisee begins his

Each year we invite some of our teens to become Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. As part of that invitation and training we ask these young disciples to tell us why the Eucharist is special to them and how serving as an Extraordinary Minister means for their faith life. I’ve presented below some of our teens’ reflections. If you want to experience hopefulness and learn about the power of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharistic, keep reading! I feel the Eucharist is special to me because of its unique position in the church as a physical

On October 7, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Rosary. We are blessed at Saint Aloysius to have multiple opportunities to gather and pray the Rosary, and many of our parishioners pray the Rosary privately. The most popular Catholic devotion, the Rosary is a way of praying that draws us closer to Christ by reflecting on mysteries – moments in the life of Christ and Mary. I thought it would be a good idea to provide a brief history of the Rosary and to invite everyone to pray the Rosary. Whether it’s praying on the beads that are

When war, violence, anxiety, impatience, fear, and frustration take top billing, our faith is tested. St. Paul’s letter to his friend Timothy was penned when Paul was in prison, exhausted from his work of spreading the Gospel. The fledgling Church was restless, Paul was imprisoned, and Jesus had not come back to make it all better. In this Sunday’s second reading, Paul urges his friend to stay the course, to be encouraged and emboldened by what God has taught him through the life and words of Jesus: But you, man of God, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.

For the past two weeks I’ve shared the stories of St. Carlo Acutis and St. Pier Giorgio Frasatti. This week I’d like to reflect on what these new saints can teach us about living Christ-centered lives in challenging times. As we witness war and violence, political division, and everything playing out in social media, our anxiety rises, and we are not exactly our best selves. Carlo and Pier Giorgio offer Christlike ways of navigating a complicated world and remind us that Jesus dwells in uncertainty and messiness and can bring us to a place of peace. When teenage Carlo started

The other Saint who was canonized last Sunday was Pier Giorgio Frassati. He was born in Turin, Italy on April 6, 1901. The son of an artist mother and a journalist-politician father, Pier Giorgio joined the Marian Sodality and the Apostleship of prayer, and at an early age received permission to receive Holy Communion daily (which was rare at that time). At the age of 17, he joined the St. Vincent de Paul Society and dedicated much of his spare time to serving the sick, the poor, orphans, and servicemen returning from World War I. He studied mining engineering at

On Sunday, September 7, Pope Leo XIV will canonize Blessed Carlo Acutis and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. These two entered the Kingdom of Heaven as youth, and both are known for their love of Christ, the Church, and their extraordinary and inspiring zeal. I thought it would be helpful to tell you something about these two new saints, and so this week we begin with St. Carlo for whom our new chapel will be named. Carlo Acutis was born May 3, 1991, in London. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Milan. From a very early age, Carlo had

As I mentioned in my homily last week, our new chapel will be the “Saint Carlo Acutis Chapel.” Blessed Carlo will be canonized next Sunday, September 7 by Pope Leo, and as we prepare to embrace him as an additional parish patron, here’s a brief biography of this first millennial saint. I’m indebted to “Catholic Answers” for their concise history of Carlo. Carlo Acutis was born on May 3, 1991, in London, to Andrea Acutis and Antonia Salzano. From a young age, Carlo displayed a profound love for God and the Church that inspired his parents. “Before Carlo’s birth, I

As we get closer to the end of summer, I have so much to share with you about the pastoral year ahead. This weekend I will preach at all the Masses; my homily will include a reflection on the Sunday readings and a brief presentation about plans for the year ahead. I am happy to share great news about prayer and worship, religious education, parish ministries, the launch of some new ministries, the Saint Aloysius Catholic Preschool, and an update on the last phase of our parish project. Since some of you might be away on vacation, I will provide