+ AMDG + From the Gospel today, it would seem that it is Christmas all over again. And, really, it is. Christmas is one of the two great feasts of the Church’s year that is celebrated not just for one day, but for eight – an octave, eight days of celebration. On the eighth day […]
Read moreAuthor: frgregerson
True Love is Present Here
Over the site of our Lord’s birth, to no one’s surprise, is a church, the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem. It is, of course, a beautiful church, with soaring arches and ruts in the stone floor from the countless numbers of pilgrims who have filed through over the centuries to reverence the sacred place […]
Read more "True Love is Present Here"Taking Mary into Our Homes
Over the past few weeks we have been focusing intently on the figure of St. John the Baptist, the precursor to the Lord who prepared the way for Him. St. John has challenged us with harsh words and a dramatic call to conversion, a call that hopefully we have answered by becoming reconciled to God […]
Read more "Taking Mary into Our Homes"Fleeing from the Coming Wrath
“You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath!” (Mt 3:7)\ If we were to make the Gospels into a play, the character I would want to play would be John the Baptist. He undoubtedly would have the coolest lines: “Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees!” […]
Read more "Fleeing from the Coming Wrath"Preparing for Christ
“They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.” Wars and insurrections, persecutions, famines, and strife and tribulation. These are the images we have been seeing over the past few weeks in the readings presented for our consideration by Holy Mother Church, readings that describe the end of the world. But […]
Read more "Preparing for Christ"Christ Must Reign
The year is 1925. World War I is over, and the United States is enjoying an unprecedented economic boom, but Europe is still devastated from the war (a war that will continue to be called in Europe, “The Great War”). In Italy, Benito Mussolini has seized power as dictator, and Adolf Hitler has just been […]
Read more "Christ Must Reign"Pecar es peor que morir
Para muchas personas, la cosa más peor en el mundo es morir. Para la persona que no cree en Dios o no cree en algo después de esta vida, la muerte parece ser el fin de todo, y entonces la muerte sería de evitar a todo costo. Entonces, hoy día hemos desarrollado tecnologías médicas que […]
Read more "Pecar es peor que morir"The Sycamore Tree of Folly
It is easy for us to lose track of the setting of the stories in the Gospel. Today’s Gospel is set just days before Palm Sunday. The excitement that will lead to our Lord’s triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, and the dramatic shift that will lead to His execution and death, are already starting to build. […]
Read more "The Sycamore Tree of Folly"The Confidence of Repentance
“I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.” These words from St. Paul […]
Read more "The Confidence of Repentance"Being persistent and confident in prayer
Sometimes, God seems not to answer our prayers. We have all had times in our lives when we have prayed fervently and persistently and God seems not to respond. It could be the death of a loved one, sickness, loss of a job, a miscarriage, or many other situations. This can lead to a crisis […]
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Father Gregerson 