There are very few days on the liturgical calendar as hauntingly beautiful as today. The Church is stripped bare. There is no ornamentation around the altar. The music for today is subdued and glum. There is a silence settling over not just this place, but over the whole world. It’s meant to remind us of…
I want to point out something that’s a little unsettling in our Gospel today. At first, it might seem like this is just a story about some poor woman caught in a moment of deep sin – and that is certainly true. But if we look a little bit deeper, we realize: she wasn’t the…
Today, we hear the Parable of the Prodigal Son. It is one of the most well-known and, honestly, more powerful stories in all of Scripture. And at this point, most of us have heard it many times, and yet, there is always something really beautiful about it and we always take something fresh from it.…
Some of you might remember this, but just a couple of years ago, I had the privilege of traveling to Portugal for World Youth Day with some of our young adults. Now, for context, at every major World Youth Day event, the closing Mass is the highlight of the week. But, that closing Mass is…
There’s something powerful about knowing where you belong. I remember the very first time that I went to Rome. I was in seminary and was traveling with a group of my closest friends. The second we walked into the arms of the portico that surrounds St. Peter’s Square, I instantly knew that I was home.…
Have you ever had a smudge on your face that really leaves a mark, like a smear of lipstick or marker from one of your children’s masterpieces? No matter how many times you wipe it away, it seems to just stay there. Even if you think it's gone, it leaves a trace – a reminder…
What chains weigh us down? What sins have we grown comfortable with in our lives? Wanting more than our fair share of things? Making ourselves out to be better than other people? Battling against the sin of pride? Falling into the sin of gluttony with food or drink? Struggling with lust or viewing pornography? Embracing…
As I was reading this Gospel yesterday in preparation for my homily, I found myself thinking about how bizarre of a reaction this was from Jesus. Here we have this royal official whose son was ill coming to the Lord. In his desperation, he sought Jesus' intervention; he came to Jesus asking for His help.…
Y’all, this year seems to be flying by so quickly. I am finding it really hard to believe that we are already at the Third Sunday of Lent. It feels like Christmas was 2 weeks ago…and here we are less than a month away from Easter! But that should give us a deeper sense of…
This reading from the Book of Daniel is an example of a heartfelt prayer of confession and repentance. It’s a reminder for us of the importance of owning our mistakes before the Lord and seeking His forgiveness. It challenges us to confront our own shortcomings, our own failings and errors with humility and honesty. No…
Fr. Tom Pringle 