Everyone Is Welcome (There Are No Exceptions) The Roman Catholic Church is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the Permanent Diaconate. There are over 17,000 permanent deacons in the United States and over 42,000 worldwide. I have been proud to be one of them since my ordination in 1992.After marrying my sweetheart, Wanda, […]
‘Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.’ Jesus gave us a wonderful gift: he brought God into the center of our lives and taught us that he is like a loving father. Today is Fathers Day. It is a good time to remember that each and every one of us — male […]
Just to Follow My Friend (Reflection by Deacon Lex at 25th Ordination Anniversary Mass) There’s a song by Christopher Walker that Peter Coll, our Music Director, often plays during Mass. The song is entitled, “Because the Lord is My Shepherd” and its refrain sums up why I became a deacon: Lord, you are my Shepherd, […]
If God really loves us so much why does he allow bad things to happen? Before retiring, I worked for many years at Hackensack University Medical Center. At least once each day I would ride the elevator in The Tomorrows Children Building. Frequently I would share that elevator with young children who were very, very […]
Jesus said, “All that you see here – the day will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone.” Will you and I be ready to face that day when it comes? On November 20th we will celebrate the feast of Christ the King. It is the last Sunday in the […]
It is fitting that we worship together as a Christian community on this Labor Day weekend. Because as followers of Jesus, we have all been called to be laborers for the Kingdom of God. I went on retreat a few years ago and heard a priest say that the Universe is God’s family business. We […]
This weekend we will be celebrating the feast of Corpus Christi, the Body of Christ. Where is the Body of Christ? The disciples on that first Easter morning were frantically searching for the body of Christ. They were dazed and confused. But Jesus didn’t want them, or us, going off on some wild goose chase. […]
The sacrament of Reconciliation is an interaction of love – God’s love and our love. When I was a young Catholic-school boy back in the Bronx, receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation, or ‘going to confession’ as we used to call it, brought me great comfort and peace. I can remember being a 6th grader walking […]
God’s mercy is much greater than any bad thing we’ve ever done. We are called to be merciful to others like our heavenly Father is merciful to us. If God really loves us unconditionally then Hell should be an empty place. But if God is truly just, then everyone should ultimately get what’s coming due. […]
Matthew 2: 1 – 3, 7 – 8, 10 – 12 . . . Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found him, report to me, so […]
