David is Anointed "...Yahweh said to Samuel, take no notice of his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not see as human beings see; they look at appearances but Yahweh||The Good Shepherd "...I make ...

The story of "Susanna and the Judgment of Daniel," today's Old Testament Reading Is one frequently illustrated in books about Scripture: Susanna, portrayed as a young woman "of great beauty," somewhat curvaceous, with a ...

I feel very fortunate to have been chosen to write a daily reflection for this day, "All Souls Day." Recently, my wife's aunt passed away from a sudden heart attack. She was only 59. Although she had been having complications ...

We have all been there. Sitting in church on a weekday at 10:00 a.m. waiting for the funeral of mother taken by cancer who left a husband to care for three small children, or a young relative so full of promise, who died ...

Nothing Lost||One of our great human fears is the fear of losing something/someone, or of being lost ourselves. Children fear when their parents seem far away; parents hold on tight to little hands lest they lose their ...

Bittersweet.|That's what it said on the big package of chocolate I found one Saturday morning in the cabinet above my mother's oven. It looked like an overgrown chocolate bar and I was in a feeding mood so I decided to ...

This is All Souls Day. We remember and honor so many more dead this year than last. Death is much closer this year.|When I was in college in the late 70's, I remember reading Charles de Foucauld's advice that we have death ...

Sunday in Ordinary Time Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed PRE-PRAYERING|We have a little saying that when you get a lemon, you make lemonade. This means generally that when something sour or displeasing comes our ...

So as to be more available to the graces flowing through these readings and this liturgy, we might, using our memories, call to mind the faces and personalities of those faithful who have been companions with us on our ...

When I was a boy my dad would recite a favorite verse many, many times. He had first seen it on a tombstone: "Remember me as you pass by. As you are now, so once was I. As I am now, one day you'll be. So stop and say a ...