“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me”…
We are all familiar with the manger scene. Mary and Joseph kneel by the baby Jesus in the manger with…
The season of Advent, and Gaudete Sunday in particular, invites us to rejoice. In Year C, our readings on Gaudete…
May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. This is a prayer…
The fourth chapter of Saint Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians is awash with paradox. He says in verse 18…
You probably know the story of Joseph and his brothers that is told in chapters 37-50 of the Book of…
Saint Paul is Pro Life. He clearly affirms the goodness of all God’s creation and the goodness of enjoying the…
“You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the…
“The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it…
Yes! God always answers our prayers. Jesus assures us of this over and over again. “Ask and it will be…
There are many good, true, and important answers that one could give in response to questions about the mystery of…
The Old Testament Book of Job is about a good man whom God allows to suffer. The first verse introduces…
Jesus Christ, in his earthly lifetime, showed himself to be the divine physician, healing bodies and spirits by his power…
Jesus performed innumerable healing miracles during his brief public ministry. Jesus’ healings demonstrated the power and tender love of God…
The health care ministry of the Church’s ordained and commissioned ministers, as well as that of the Christian faithful who…
The health care ministry of the Catholic Church is – or at least ought to be – an extension of…
Every year we celebrate Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. We hear the account of the Lord’s Passion from one…
In the gospels, there are dozens of stories in which people personally encounter Jesus and are transformed by the experience.…
According to the Gospel of John, Lazarus of Bethany, the brother of Martha and Mary, was ill, and his sisters…
Most, if not all, of the ethical problems in the world of health care come from a failure to grasp…
Bringing Holy Communion to the sick is an important part of Catholic health care ministry. In this reflection, we will…
Everybody wants to be home for Christmas. Everybody wants to spend Christmas with family. But some people can’t be home…
Like all human beings, patients receiving medical care can be identified with Jesus Christ by virtue of the Incarnation, the…
The patients I encounter in my health care ministry are not, for the most part, runners. Many of them can…
There are great joys that people in health care get to experience. Patients get well, receive favorable diagnoses, overcome difficult…
I am writing this on September 29, the feast day of the archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. They are the…
I have set before you life and death . . . choose life! The choice that Moses set before the…
Every year at Pentecost the Church commemorates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and the Blessed Virgin…
In recounting the events of Easter Sunday, The Gospel of Luke presents us with the beautiful narrative in which Jesus…
On Easter Sunday the Church is full of rejoicing! That rejoicing is expressed in many ways, but never more beautifully…
Throughout our lives, and most especially in the season of Lent, the Church invites us to reflect upon and more…
The ninth chapter of the Gospel of John relates a healing encounter between Jesus and a man born blind. Let…
Proponents of physician-assisted suicide have used the term “death with dignity” to present their cause in a positive way. The…
We have already considered how the ethics of the Christian gospel embrace both rigorous moral standards and extravagant forgiveness of…
Throughout the forty days of Lent, the Church invites us to practice penance by praying, fasting, and giving alms. As…
G. K. Chesterton, the early 20th century Christian apologist, wrote that, while “paganism declared that virtue was in a balance;…
“I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.” These are the first words of the Apostles…
“We hold these treasures in earthen vessels,” Saint Paul says (2 Cor 4:7). These “earthen vessels” are human bodies, which…
“Hope” is a word that can mean different things. It can mean looking forward to something good that might happen…
Christmas is a time of giving. It is the celebration of the greatest gift of all: Our Lord Jesus Christ,…
For he assumed at his first coming the lowliness of human flesh, and so fulfilled the design you formed long…
I was ill and you cared for me. (Matt 25:36) So the king will say, seated on his glorious throne…