Peter.  Paul.  Isaiah.  Frodo Baggins.  They have more in common than meets the eye.

Of course there are differences, too.  Peter is a small business man, trying to wring a living for his family out of a lake in Hicksville.  No…

“In polite conversation, never bring up politics or religion.”  That’s the advice I was given as a child.  And it’s good advice, too, if your aim is to be well-liked.  Politics and religion are risky because they involve deeply held…

There is a myth that we must lay to rest, once and for all: Protestants are all about the Bible, while Catholics are all about the Sacraments.  While I can’t speak for my Protestant brethren, I can say this with…

Epiphany, to most of us, means the three kings.  But the term Epiphany means “manifestation” or “revelation,” and traditionally the Feast of the Epiphany celebrates three revelatory events, the Magi’s visit, the Lord’s baptism, and the wedding feast at Cana.

The…

At first glance, the scene makes little sense.  John’s strident call to repentance provokes an overwhelming response.  People of all shapes and sizes flock to him in the wilderness.  They are baptized in the Jordan as a sign of repentance…

Up ’til now, all has been quite humble.  A donkey-ride to a dusty town south of Jerusalem.  Hotel rooms all booked up.  Giving birth in a stable and laying the baby in an animal’s feed trough instead of a cozy…

The mother of the messiah has been called many things in the last 2000 years — the Virgin Mary, Our Lady, the Blessed Mother.  But call her “the Mother of God” and you’ll see some Christians squirm.

This is nothing new. …

Every year right after Christmas, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family.  There is an important reason for this.  It’s easy to think the “incarnation” means God took on a human body, that he appeared in human flesh.

But there…

The Beatitudes rank high on the list of all-time favorite Bible passages.  But what is “beatitude,” anyway?   In the bible, a “blessed” person is someone who has received gifts of the greatest value, gifts that lead to true fulfillment and…

On the third Sunday of Advent, the penitential purple of the season changes to rose and we celebrate “Gaudete” or “Rejoice!” Sunday.  “Shout for joy, daughter of Zion” says Zephaniah.  “Draw water joyfully from the font of salvation,” says Isaiah. …