This Sunday is called Sexagesima, which means sixty days until Easter. The theme for this Sunday is Sola Scriptura , the Word of God alone. Here is the chief treasure of the Christian. Here is the source of life, truth, and salvation. Everything begins with the Word of God. The spiritual life does not…

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” ( Jn 5:24 ). These are the words of Jesus, spoken to his disciples, to Irmi, and to all who hear and believe his words. They are a promise…

Today the Church sets aside the joy of Christmas and Epiphany and begins her journey toward the season of Lent. This day is called Septuagesima, which means seventy days. The great celebration of Easter is seventy days away. We know how the story will end. We know our Lord emerges from the tomb victorious,…

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves ( Mt 17:1 ). Six days after what? What happened six days earlier that was so important? Two things, actually – both involving Peter. First, Peter made his great confession, “You…

Have you ever noticed that the ceiling of the church looks like an up-side-down ship? This is no accident; it’s intentional. Ever since Christians began building churches, they have often been designed to resemble a boat – not just any boat, but a certain, very large, wooden boat. We do this because…

There are two miracle accounts in our Gospel text. In the first a leper is cleansed. In the second a Roman centurion obtains healing for his servant. Both men provide us great examples of faith. Both men are also unlikely candidates to have faith. Where would we expect to find great faith? Well, in the…

Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding of Cana is a bit strange. It’s not like any of the other miracles that Jesus performs in his ministry. No one is sick. No one is blind, deaf, or lame. There’s no storm, no sinking boat, and no demon that needs cast out. No one has died. There’s no real emergency. They…

St. Mark tells us that John “was proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” ( Mk 1:4 ). When we use the word “baptize” today, it’s always in the context of a religious ceremony. Baptism has become a very special word for a specific Christian ritual. Not so in John’s day. To baptize…

Yesterday was the Twelfth and final Day of Christmas. Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany of our Lord. Epiphany is a Greek word that means “to shine forth.” Epiphany is the manifestation of the light of Christ to the Gentiles. This revealing was foretold by the prophet Isaiah, “Arise,…

Today is the Sixth Day of Christmas. We are not even half-way through the season, yet as far as the world is concerned, Christmas is over. It’s almost as if the scriptural narrative of Christ ends with his lowly birth in a manger. But this is only the beginning. Jesus, who came to take the lowest place…