Don’t Talk to the Divider!
1st Sunday of Lent (A); February 22, 2026 Gn 2:7-9, 3:1-7. Ps 51. Rom 5:12-19. Mt 4:1-11 Deacon Jim McFadden Each year, the Gospel of the 1st Sunday of Lent presents us with the narrative of Jesus in the…
Category: Reflections
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Catholic Educator as Formator
Cardinal Roger Mahoney of Los Angeles once said, “It is not so much that the Church has a mission; it is rather more that the mission has a Church.” What is the mission of the Church? According to Lumen Gentium (The Dogmatic Constitution of the Church), the mission is to be a…
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Will the Real Pope Francis ”Come on Down?”
We’ve been moved by the early Franciscan moves of our Holy Father from the choice of his pontifical name to decidedly Franciscan gestures. Think of when he paid his own bill at the residence where the cardinals stayed for the conclave or the washing of the feet of prisoners, including a Muslim, at a juvenile…
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Vietnam-Iraq War Connection
The Vietnam-Iraq Connection; Letter from an Iraq War Veteran: “When Will We Ever Learn” The philosopher George Santayana famously said that “Those who don’t remember history are doomed to repeat it.” As this year marks the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq War, which Pope John Paul II and the United States Conference…
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The Liturgy: Service & Action
Service & Participation in Divine Action –Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience (September 26, 2012) …After a long series of Catecheses on payer in Scripture, we can ask ourselves: how can I let myself be formed by the Holy Spirit and thereby become able to enter into the atmosphere of God, of prayer with Go.…
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A Catholic Approach to the Gospels
As we approach the Gospels, we do so with the desire to encounter the Risen Christ so that our faith relationship may deepen in and through Him. In this endeavor we need to have an overriding sense of how God is present in Salvation History. If we’re going to understand what is being said…
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Dependence on God Makes Us Free
Pope Benedict XVI …The theme chosen this year is meaningful—“By nature, man is relation to the infinite”—in view of the now imminent Year of Faith which I have chosen to proclaim for the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. Speaking of man and of his desire for the…
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Is Political Discord an Occasion of Sin and What Makes Liberals/Conservatives Tick?
Is Political Discord an Occasion of Sin and What Makes Liberals/Conservatives Tick? -by Deacon Jim McFadden In Jesus’ priestly prayer (cf. John 17), our Lord proclaims that God, who is love, gathers together the many as one: “…that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you,…
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Five Reasons Drone Assassinations are Illegal
Dear Folks, Below is an article, “Five Reasons Drone Assassinations are Illegal,” that recently appeared in the Pax Christi USA website. “I think the difference between me and some people is that I’m content to do my little bit. Sometimes people think they have to do big things in order to make change. But if…
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A Shining Star: St Teresa of Avila
Dear Folks, Celebrating the 450th anniversary of the Carmel Reform movement, Pope Benedict recently reflected on the spirituality of Teresa of Avila. Peace and good will, Deacon Jim A Shining Star: St Teresa of Avila The following is a reflection that Pope Benedict XVI sent to Bishop Jesus Garcia Burillo of Avila, Spain…
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“Gay Marriage” Is Not Marriage. Here’s Why. By Monica Migliorino Miller
Dear Folks, Below is a reflection, “‘Gay Marriage’ is Not Marriage. Here’s Why”, that originally appeared in the “New Oxford Review.” The author, Monica Migliorino Miller, concludes here thoughtful and extensive piece by noting, “We must speak the truth in love, recognizing that homosexual persons have God-given dignity and basic human rights that must never…
homilies
Ash Wednesday: A Time for pruning
Jl 2:12-18. Ps 51. 2 Cor 5:20-6:2. Mt 6:1-6, 16-18 Deacon Jim McFadden People of God, we come once again, to that great season of Lent, which is a great opportunity to prune away falseness, superficiality, and indifference to…
Respect a Person’s Dignity!
6th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A); February 15, 2026 Sir 15:15-20. Ps 119. 1 Cor 2:6-10. Mt 5:17-37 Deacon Jim McFadden It can begin with the smallest gesture: an interested glance across a classroom, the brushing of a hand,…
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