Lent Gives Us a Chance to Focus on What Matters Most This Wednesday, we begin our journey through the season of Lent with the imposition of ashes. As they are placed on our foreheads, we are invited to repent and believe in the Gospel, and are also reminded that from dust we came, and to …
Padre Paul’s Ponderings: Lent Gives Us a Chance to Focus on What Matters Most Continue »
The Past Teaches Us How to Live for the Future I’ve always loved history, because it teaches us so much about where we’ve been but also how to learn from the past to get to the future. With respect to those who have gone before us, if you think about it, there is so much …
Padre Paul’s Ponderings: The Past Teaches Us How to Live for the Future Continue »
This Saturday, we celebrated the confirmation of a number of young men and women from our parish at the Cathedral of Saint Paul. I remember my confirmation day in the winter of 1995. Archbishop Flynn presided that day, and I remember seeing him after the Mass, and he made a suggestion to me that I …
Padre Paul's Ponderings: The Holy Spirit: A Light on our Faith Journey Continue »
Last week at daily Mass on Monday, we celebrated the feast of the annunciation. Typically the feast is March 25th, 9 months before Christmas, but in years where it falls during Holy Week or the Octave of Easter, the feast gets moved to the first Monday after the Second Sunday of Easter. While you probably …
Padre Paul's Ponderings: Mary Shows us the Importance of Trust Continue »
Was it just me or was it a little more crowded last week? So how do we get there each week? There are some who might take a cynical attitude and think there is nothing that can be said or done on these days to get people to consider coming back, but you and I …
Padre Paul's Ponderings: No Doubt About it, Mass Helps us on our Lifelong Journey Continue »
One of the things that I try to hit on at the start of each Lent is that the season gives us the chance to look at our lives and say “how can I emerge as a better person?” when we get to Easter. In some cases, people may give up something they enjoy as …
Padre Paul's Ponderings: Easter Continues What Lent Began Continue »
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Sometimes when we get to Holy Week, people think it’s the busiest time of the year for a priest. To be honest, it’s busy, but it’s not really busier than normal. (The “busiest” time is hard to predict; it tends to be when there are …
Padre Paul's Ponderings: Holy Week: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told Continue »
One of the most familiar sights we see is the cross or crucifix. It is likely in your home. It’s on our steeple. And, it’s before us every time we enter into a Catholic Church. But how often do we stop to think about it’s meaning? For it means many things – our redemption; how …
On a final exam question in one of my seminary classes, the professor posed us with the question: “what is wrong with the song “Amazing Grace?” We all know the song, and it is a beautiful hymn. But it was written by John Newton, the former slave ship mariner and eventual Anglican priest, so it …
Padre Paul's Ponderings: Grace is Amazing, but not Cheap Continue »
We are used to Jesus curing people, or preaching, and forgiving. But this week in our Gospel, we get a scene we aren’t used to: Jesus making a big scene, and being angry. John tells us: “He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers …
Padre Paul's Ponderings: Anger: A path towards vice or virtue Continue »