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The Word Is Life

Holy Thursday: Washing Feet

There’s such a sense of anticipation on Holy Thursday, I find. It is the start of the Triduum, the three days that form a single celebration marking the end of Lent: from the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday to Evening Prayer on Easter Sunday. During this intense and sacred time, we journey…

Annunciation of the Lord

This beautiful painting of the Annunciation of Our Lord is provocative. It presents a very realistic depiction of Mary, the mother of God. A young girl wakes and thinks about the day ahead of her: chores, family activities and the weather. And then she has a vision that is beyond her experience. This is the…

ST. JOSEPH: THE HIDDEN LIFE

Today we remember St. Joseph, in the year that Pope Francis has named “The Year of St. Joseph.” Today, also, we begin a Year of the Family! When the Church honors a saint or honors families, it is one thing. But I think it would do us a lot of good to try to honor…

ST. PATRICK: A SAINT FOR A DANGEROUS WORLD

St. Patrick is one of those characters embraced by a secular world that has little interest and less knowledge about who he is and what he represents. There is much more to this spiritual hero whose death we celebrate on March 17 than green beer and shamrocks. In some ways he is a perfect saint…

“STRESSED”: A PRAYER FOR LIVING THROUGH A PANDEMIC

One year ago today, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a COVID-19 pandemic. It has been a roller coaster ride since then, and it’s not quite over. There are many signs of hope, from the roll-out of various vaccines and a decline in cases, but we are still suffering. Every day I think about the…