"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” The reading from Psalm 103 distills the theme of the Lord’s patience and continued mercy toward us. We can face many discouraging obstacles in the spiritual life, and…

"Jesus: God’s salvation who leads a new exodus for us." Salvation is a main theme in the Gospel according to Luke. When the Angel Gabriel comes to Mary, he announces that she shall name her Son ‘Jesus’ (God’s salvation), and…

Listening First and Then Doing In religious life, obedience is learned long before the vow is made. As novices, our novice master trained us to seek God’s will before making any request. Whenever we needed permission for something, he would…

“A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit” Fruit is an essential part of plant and animal life on earth, and it is…

Peter: The Hardest Worker When I first arrived at St. Clement Shrine in Boston, during the weekdays I would work on upgrading the church. On the weekends, I was on-call for the five Longwood Hospitals. After three years, I thought,…

Spiritual Growth Spurts: Are You Ready? When I was a kid, I was obsessed with growing taller. My parents regularly measured my height, and I faithfully drank my vitamin supplements, which promised to turn me into a seven-foot giant. I…

We are His and He is ours. Luke 1:4: “So that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.” In the Gospel of Luke, we find an invitation of reassurance in the Love of God in the…

“Do whatever he tells you.” “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in…

Anchored in Hope What is the basis of our hope? To understand this, let us stop and reflect on “the reasons for our hope” (cf. 1 Pet 3:15). “I believe in life everlasting”. Hope is “that theological virtue by which…

“Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance.” The words from Isaiah about Jerusalem being filled with riches and a beacon to other countries and kings were unbelievable six hundred years before Jesus. The third section…