“. . . I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me.” (John 15: 26) The word that John uses for the Spirit is Paraclete, meaning the one who is called alongside. The Spirit of God stands alongside us to give...

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15: 13) Last August, when I was visiting my mom in Houston, I was touched by the sacrificial love of a Texas mother during the flooding following Hurricane Harvey. On August 29, Colette...

“You are not of the world . . .” (John 15: 19) One of the things that confuses many Christians is the attitude of non-Christians toward them. Most of us think that since we go to the world with the greatest and most important message in all of history that the world...

This I command you: love one another. (John 15: 17) A few weeks ago, a wave of pain swept over me at reported comments by a leader about immigrants from the global south. You’d think by now I would be desensitized to political rhetoric, but this time, he hit a nerve....

There is no word or sound, no voice is heard, yet their message reaches to all the ends of the world. (Psalm 19: 4) In my ministry of teaching young immigrant children the language of this country, I have learned that words are not always necessary, especially in the...

I am the vine, you are the branches. (John 15: 5) I am writing this on February 2, the congregational feast day of the C.PP.S. Sisters of O’Fallon, Mo., so my reflections on today’s readings are highly influenced by this fact. The first reading describes the Church...

Peace I leave with you. (John 14: 27) Every now and then, a person will greet me with “Shalom.” That is a loaded word, loaded with grace. It’s a lot more than the peace sign of the 1960’s. Jesus, about to pour out his Blood on the cross, wishes everything good for his...

Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him. (John 14: 21) It is easy to say the words, “I love you” to someone. Words are a dime a dozen. It is much harder to prove it by one’s actions. If you love someone, you want to...

I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. (John 15: 5) We have today what may be the most vivid image for those of us living in the 21st century. When Jesus talks about the...

If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it. (John 14: 13) There was a young woman in RCIA a couple of years ago when I was working in a parish. She was always cheerful, positive and had a bubbly personality. She had a beautiful voice that she shared with the...

…what God promised to our ancestors God has fulfilled for us… (Acts 13: 32-33) A student preparing for Confirmation asked who were the saints in the church. The reference was to the statues and tapestries that adorned the walls of the building. The expected answer was...

Whoever receives the one I send receives me… (John 13: 20) In the first reading of this day, St. Paul speaks in the synagogue in Antioch. As the good teacher he is, he tells his listeners things they already know well and regularly recount in their liturgy. His actual...

But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them… (Mark 16: 20) As we celebrate the Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist today, we hear the Gospel account of the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. Before he leaves, Jesus sends his apostles into...

My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me. (John 10: 27) Two thousand years later, I wonder if Jesus says the same thing about us with the same confidence. He still loves us with the same deep love he had for his sheep so long ago. But do we follow so...

I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. (John 10: 10) In the Gospel, Jesus plainly says that he is the Good Shepherd and the sheep gate. There are many doors or gates available for us to enter, to touch and to communicate to the sheep. Please...