“Women and children first” has been the motto of gentlemen perhaps since the chivalrous days of the Middle Ages and certainly since the era of stiff courtesy that marked the nineteenth century. … more

Jesus must have been pleased upon returning to his home town of Nazareth to find his opening words delivered on a Sabbath at the local synagogue to be well received by his neighbors and … more

Brides and grooms, or perhaps mostly brides, thumbing through the Church’s preparation for marriage booklets will often select some early verses of chapter 13 of St. Paul’s 1st Epistle to the … more

The Sunday collection! It’s almost an eighth sacrament! The weekly envelope dropped into the collection basket and the all too frequent “special collections” envelopes that support all areas of … more

A speeding car hops the guard rail and tumbles down the grassy embankment. No one thankfully is hurt. “It was a miracle,” friends of the hapless driver and passengers celebrate. CT scans and MRIs … more

The Baptism of Our Lord has long been celebrated within the Catholic community. But for many centuries its observance was shared on the feast of the Epiphany with the arrival of the Magi at Bethlehem … more

A lingering cold forced me to my bed, but at a very appropriate time. A “Law & Order” marathon, all 587 shows, was being featured on a cable channel. During the first episodes all six main … more

The American Thanksgiving holiday and the quickly approaching universal festival of Christmas have become and perhaps always have been opportunities for giving. In late November parish halls are … more

The ancient Jews, and today’s Jews as well, are certainly God’s chosen people. St. Paul rightly praises the divine selection of the Jews when he writes of his Jewish people, “theirs is the … more

Ah yes, Advent! As sure as leafless trees, pine wreaths, and snow shovels enter the home scene, the liturgical season of Advent arrives annually in late November and early December. The four weeks of … more