Sunday Reflections from the C.PP.S.
C.PP.S. Members share their reflections on Sunday readings
God, What Are You Thinking?
By Brother Brian Boyle, C.PP.S. “When I get out of the Catholic Theological Union, I am going to do . . . “When I get definitively incorporated and then ordained, I am going to . . . ” My confreres, classmates and I commonly used statements like these during...
A Time to Take in the Wonder
By the V. Rev. Jeffrey Kirch, C.PP.S. Christmas time is packed full of celebrations, parties, get-togethers, dinners, and of course all kinds of events at your parish, such as reconciliation services, Christmas concerts, and lots of Masses! Each of these events are...
A Time to Take in the Wonder
By the V. Rev. Jeffrey Kirch, C.PP.S. Christmas time is packed full of celebrations, parties, get-togethers, dinners, and of course all kinds of events at your parish, such as reconciliation services, Christmas concerts, and lots of Masses! Each of these events are...
Qualities of a Holy Family
By Fr. Angelo Anthony, C.PP.S. Today we move quickly from the story of Christmas to Jesus at 12 years of age. We do not know much about the early years of Jesus’ life, so today’s Gospel gives us an unusual glimpse into his family life. Luke tells us that the Holy...
Looking Back, Looking Ahead
By Fr. Tim McFarland, C.PP.S. Merry Christmas! Christmas usually brings a flood of memories from our past as we often look back with warm recollections of family gatherings, special foods, gifts being opened, and meals shared with family. The scripture readings for...
A Mother’s Love
By Fr. Tony Fortman, C.PP.S. We draw ever closer to Christmas. In today’s Gospel we envision Mary’s visitation to her cousin Elizabeth. Mary is three months pregnant with baby Jesus and her cousin Elizabeth is six months pregnant with her baby, John the Baptist. These...
A Season of Hope and Joy
By Fr. Harry Brown, C.PP.S. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice.” Rejoice, because we Christians know to whom we should turn for true joy. St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians gives us a crash course in our preparation for Christmas. He was sitting...
Rejoice! Do Justice!
Taken together, our readings on this second Sunday of Advent are a call to rejoice in what God is doing, but are also a challenge for us to do our part. We are not just to rejoice and wait for God to do God’s thing. We are to rejoice and spend time and effort in making the Kingdom of God a reality in our own lives and in the world today.
The Authority of the Word
Mathew 8:5-11 By Fr. Bill Nordenbrock, C.PP.S. The Gospel reading from St. Mathew today has me reflecting on the nature of authority. It is not my favorite topic because I can remember different occasions when I have been accused of having a problem with authority....
“This Is Advent!”
God breaks into our lives and our worlds, regardless of how cleaned-up we are, or maybe precisely when we are not cleaned up. The power and glory of our God breaks into history in the birth of Jesus. The power and glory of God brings forth new life in our world and our lives. This season of Advent invites us to slow down and pause, to sit down and be attentive, and to stand up and raise our heads to see that God our justice is at hand. God our redemption is at hand. In the voice of two little children, loudly and proudly imitating the voice of a station announcer, “This is Advent! This is Advent!”
Is Christ the Lord of My Life?
The annual celebration of the Feast of Christ the King often has a triumphal ring to it. Jesus is given dominion and kingship by the Father because the Lord “loves us and frees us from our sins by his blood.” This year’s celebration, however, is muted by scandals...
Do You Have a Reservation?
Thanksgiving is here—be thankful that Jesus has offered himself to save us. What do you need to do in your life to make sure you have a reservation, that your name is written in the book of life?
Our Actions Show Our Allegiance
1 Kings 17:10-16 Hebrews 9:24-28 Mark 12:38-44 By Brother Brian Boyle, C.PP.S. Walter Payton. The Chicago Bears. The person and the professional football franchise are inseparable. Walter Payton played running back for the Chicago Bears from 1974–87. I could share...
Perfect Love Casts Out Fear
Precious Blood spirituality helps us to view the world in love, not fear.
Open Our Blind Eyes, O Lord
A fellow Precious Blood priest, Fr. Marvin Steffes, C.PP.S., was a man of hands-on spirituality with no fluff. He so often observed “most people are going to be saved because they are so ignorant.” I know he included the two of us. The Epistle to the Hebrews says we...
Bonded in the Precious Blood
One of the joys of living in Rome was exploring the hundreds of churches in the city. Some are gigantic architectural wonders like Saint Peter’s and others are smaller, less ornate, and less well known. Yet each is remarkable in its own way.
In Search of Wisdom
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor (Mark 10:21) [I] deemed riches nothing in comparison with her, (Wisdom 7:8) One of the threads running through the readings for this Sunday portrays wisdom and holiness as superior or earthly treasure. Solomon tells us how...
Be a Servant of All
When it comes time to replay the story of your life what will you see? Today is the day to make a choice to serve God generously through the relationships and chance encounters you experience each day.
Getting Rid of the Message
Thousands of messages come our way each day and a good number of those message we do not like, so we try to get rid of those messages as quickly as possible. For example, when someone sends you message trying to sell you something you do not want, you delete it, throw it in the trash, or simply just pretend as though you never got the message.
Sharing in the Cross
Our North American culture, particularly in the United States, prides itself on the “self-made” individual. Phrases such as, “I’ve got to do it my way,” “I don’t really care what others think, I have to be me,” are often heard in conversations. Posts on various social...
God Can Use People to Heal
There is power in prayer. I wanted a healing for mom with no doctors involved, but God had other plans.
The Life-Giving Blood of Jesus
Fr. Tim Knepper, C.PP.S. Growing up in Indiana, spending summers near my Grandpa Norman was instructional, due to my grandfather being a farmer and a wisdom figure. He was blessed with a green thumb and a smart mind. His garden was filled with sweet corn, green...
To Whom Shall We Go?
By Fr. Dennis Chriszt, C.PP.S. Eating human flesh and drinking human blood was just too much for most people to even consider. They couldn’t believe what Jesus was saying. It just seemed too preposterous. So, without much understanding of what he was really saying,...
Hungers of the Heart
There are reflective moments in our lives when we realize that we are looking for something more, that our hearts seem empty, that we yearn for a deeper meaning in our lives. Today’s readings remind us that God alone can satisfy the deepest hungers of our heart. The...
Proclaiming the Greatness of God
By V. Rev. Bill Nordenbrock, C.PP.S. On this wonderful Solemnity, the scripture gives us a familiar prayer, Mary’s Magnificat. The prayer begins: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for God has looked with favor...
Remember Who You Belong To
By Brother Brian Boyle, C.PP.S. It was the first Monday of June 1988. I had just graduated from high school. I was on my way to college later in the fall. It was the Monday after my high school graduation, but this Monday was my first day of a new job in a grain...
I Am the Bread of Life
By Fr. Jim Dugal, C.PP.S. Today we begin reading the sixth chapter of John's Gospel, often called the Bread of Life Discourse because Jesus makes this statement. I find it helpful to read the whole gospel by yourself to get the whole message. It continues to grow as...
Sharing is Contagious
By Fr. Al Naseman, C.PP.S. The Boy Who Was Willing to Share His Lunch is the title of an attractive children’s Bible booklet. It features this boy in today’s Gospel. But we suspect something much bigger is going on here. The boy surely didn’t bring a personal lunch of...
Brought Near
By Fr. Steve Dos Santos, C.PP.S. In Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13). These words from Ephesians mark an important part of who we are as Precious Blood people. They remind us of all the places we have...
Are You Ready for Where God is Sending You?
By Brother Matthew Schaefer, C.PP.S. When I was in formation with the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, I volunteered at a senior care facility. It was suggested by the spiritual care department that I visit some of the people who were living there independently. On...