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A chance to bloom

By Lucia A. Silecchia
The petals were dusty yellow and flecked with white. They emerged with timid strength from a nearly invisible crack in the blacktop of a nondescript driveway. In the midst of the dark pavement, a spunky petunia bloomed. The contrast between the delicate bright beauty of the flower and the cold ugliness of the asphalt was […]
7/22/25
Reading Time 3 min

Divine Communion

By Fr. Jack Peterson, YA
July 20 — Lk 10:38-42 The church serves up another spectacular meal at the table of God’s Word today. All three readings help us to gain important insights into one of God’s greatest gifts to us — communion with him. Our first reading from the book of Genesis recounts a mysterious event in the life […]
7/19/25
Reading Time 3 min

The flashing light on the dashboard

By Elizabeth Foss
No one wants to be that mom. The one who loses her temper. The one who raises her voice. The one who unleashes a torrent of emotion and is left feeling bereft and utterly devoid of her dignity.
7/17/25
Reading Time 3 min

Good Samaritan

By Fr. Richard Miserendino
Often, the most familiar parts of the Bible are the most revolutionary. Within them, God’s grace hides in plain sight. It’s veiled from our eyes by the fact that we’ve “heard it all before” and that our vision is often limited to what we’re looking to see. This is definitely the case with our Gospel […]
7/12/25
Reading Time 3 min

Trusting the mission

By Fr. Joseph M. Rampino
July 6 — Lk 10:1-12, 17-20 This week’s Gospel most often turns our minds to consider vocations, with Christ saying, “the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few, so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” This command of the Lord’s is certainly important for us to hear; […]
7/5/25
Reading Time 3 min

Fractured world, faithful conversations

By Elizabeth Foss
It doesn’t take much these days to trigger a heated conversation. Sometimes it’s a news headline, sometimes a stray comment on social media, sometimes a tense family dinner. In these moments, many Catholics feel caught: we want to speak truth, but not in a way that adds to division or hostility. We want to preserve […]
7/3/25
Reading Time 3 min

Don’t give up

By Christina Capecchi
“Don’t give up the ship.” Those five words were the dying command of Capt. James Lawrence during the War of 1812. Mortally wounded in battle at sea, he gasped this final order to his crew as the ship slipped into enemy hands. Lawrence didn’t live to see what his words would spark — but his […]
7/2/25
Reading Time 3 min

Original nakedness

By Mary Beth Bonacci
“And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” Gen 2:25 In our journey through the “Theology of the Body,” we have talked about the importance and dignity of every human person, the fact that we are created to find fulfillment in giving ourselves in love, the nature of love as […]
7/2/25
Reading Time 4 min

Peter and Paul

By Fr. Steven Oetjen
June 29 Mt 16:13–19 This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, two great apostles with different personalities and life trajectories, but united in one faith and one mission. St. Peter came from humble beginnings. Simon, son of John, was a fisherman who worked on the Sea of Galilee. From there, he […]
6/28/25
Reading Time 3 min

Bread and wine

By Fr. Jack Peterson, YA
Luke 9:11b-17 On his last night walking the streets of this broken world, Jesus bestows the supreme gift of the Eucharist — the blessing of his Divine Presence as the fulfillment of his promise to remain with us until the end of time. It is common to save the best gift for last. When masterminding […]
6/21/25
Reading Time 4 min

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