This morning, we celebrate the Feast of St. Bartholomew, the Apostle. Just a quick word about this Gospel: tradition holds that Nathanael and Bartholomew were the same person. Many Scripture scholars attest to this, arguing that Bartholomew is more likely Nathanael’s surname. Bartholomew actually means “son of Tolmai.” Remember, anytime in Scripture where we see…
In 2016, I had the privilege of going to Poland for World Youth Day with a group from Orlando. One of the more emotional experiences that we had came when we visited the concentration camps of Auschwitz. You could really feel the weight of the evil and the darkness that had taken place there. Yet,…
There is a line from our first reading that I have been reflecting on this morning. It says: “This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other” (Dt 4:39). God is all powerful,…
One of the most interesting stories about St. Lawrence, and probably my favorite story about any saint is the legend surrounding his martyrdom. Lawrence was kind of a smart aleck. The story goes that, as one of the seven deacons for the Church in Rome, he was responsible for the material goods of the Church…
This story from today’s Gospel about the mother of James and John approaching Jesus and asking Him to allow her sons to sit at His right and left, shows just how misunderstood Jesus was by even some of His closest disciples. So many of them initially believed that Jesus was going to be a political…
Over the last few weeks, I know that I have been preaching more and more about the state of the world and how opposed it is currently to the Church and the tenets of our faith. It seems so deaf to the message of the Gospel. And, at times, it might even seem as though…
Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, the two greatest apostles of the Church. The reason these two saints are celebrated together is because the tradition of the Church holds that they were martyred together on this date sometime between 64 and 68 AD at the hands of Emperor Nero. But these…
Homily for the Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist This morning, we celebrate the Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist. In the Acts of the Apostles, Mark is also known as John Mark and was the son of Mary of Jerusalem and a cousin of Barnabas. He accompanied Paul and Barnabas on their missionary journeys…
Homily for Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which also happens to be the patronal feast day of the United States. So, happy feast day. This particular feast of the Blessed Mother has deep roots in the…
Homily for the Memorial of St. Nicholas As we have already heard in our opening prayer for this morning, today we celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas. On this day every year, I think about my favorite story of St. Nicholas. Growing up, Nicholas was a very devout young man who lived with his uncle…
Fr. Tom Pringle 