BLOG: Deacon-structing,Lent and Easter
What is the connection between synodality, Lent, and Easter? In what sense is our journey through Lent and Easter synodal? The answer can be summarized by two key ideas: “walking together” and “transformation.”  ...read more
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) This is the cry that today’s liturgy has us repeat in the responsorial psalm (cf. Psalm 22:2), the only cry that Jesus makes from the cross in the Gospel we have heard. Those words bring us to the very heart of Christ’s passion, the culmination of the sufferings he endured for our salvation. “Why have you forsaken me?” ...read more
The Old Testament reading for this Sunday seems to be a series of non sequiturs, or sentences cobbled together like the collection of Proverbs. The “Servant of the Lord” goes from a teacher, to a listening and obedient student, to a victim of horrendous torture. ...read more
At a high school reunion shortly after Pope Benedict XVI was elected, I was challenged by a former classmate who is now a United Church Minister. ...read more
The short passage from Ezekiel for this Sunday is the conclusion of the "Valley of Dry Bones" prophecy. ...read more
As we journey once again through this season of Lent, let us take a moment to ask ourselves: What is the meaning of Lent?  ...read more
“Obedience is a short cut to perfection. […] Nothing gives greater security to our actions, or more effectually cuts the snares the devil lays for us, than to follow another person’s will, rather than our own, in doing good.” – St. Philip Neri In celebrating the feast of St. Joseph this week, we remember a ...read more
The reign of King Saul was an unmitigated disaster. It was full of rash, vengeful decisions. Thankfully, God is more than capable of taking matters into His own hands. ...read more
Pope Francis stands in the great door of St. Peter's Basilica, looking out into the rainy, empty Square. He's decked in a humeral veil, hoisting a monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament. Though rarely a solitary figure, this time he's all alone. ...read more
God called Abram and his family to undergo a great change of circumstances. He obeyed, opening himself to God's promises. ...read more