After Jesus gives the parable of the Good Samaritan to the scholar of the law, Jesus asks the man, “Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” The lawyer responds, “The one who treated him with mercy.”

A friend recently reminded me what St. John Vianney’s “pastoral plan” was when he became the pastor of his new parish in Ars in 1818.

Pentecost is a feast that I’ve come to appreciate more and more each year. While I like all the feast days, Pentecost is now one of my favorites; one that I look forward to the most. Interiorly, I feel more excited by Pentecost than I do by Christmas.

I’ve always been intrigued by the instruction Jesus gave to the apostles after the Resurrection and just before the Ascension to not leave Jerusalem.

Our Gospel this Sunday again takes place during the Last Supper; an excerpt from Jesus’ “Last Supper Discourse.” This discourse covers four chapters in the Gospel of John.

As of the time of me writing this letter, we still do not have a pope.

When Peter and his comrades were initially called to follow Jesus, back at the beginning of the Gospel, they were fishing and Jesus produced a miraculous catch of fish.

Would you consider yourself a boxer or a dancer?

When I was a child we had a pet hermit crab for a time. His name was Hermie. I’ll never forget Hermie.

Jesus was in the habit of sharing secrets with his closest friends.

Judgment isn’t black and white. We might think from the Gospel scene of the woman caught in adultery that it is.

As I did last week, I want to focus on the very first line of this weekend’s first reading.

I’d like to offer some thoughts on the very first line of this weekend’s first reading, from the scene of Moses and the burning bush.

Peter, James, and John are brought by Jesus up the mountain to experience the Transfiguration. They fall asleep when they get to the top.

The third temptation in the desert stands out to me this weekend

“For every tree is known by its own fruit” (Luke 6:44).

A good friend shared a story with me about her son from high school. At the end of his gym class the students would typically play a game.

When Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are poor,” we think the poor person is blessed because of the reward they will get after

I am often asked by children who my favorite saint is. It’s a difficult question to answer.

This Sunday is one of those rare days when a feast in the Church trumps the typical Sunday schedule.