Weekly Reflections

BALTIMORE — Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron has been elected vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops following voting Tuesday morning at the bishops’ general assembly in Baltimore.…

During September 1984, now St. Pope John Paul II embarked upon an 11-day apostolic journey through Canada. Midway through that journey, on September 15th, the pope celebrated an afternoon Mass…

There was a couple that had been married for more than 50 years when one day, unexpectedly, the husband passed away. A few days after the funeral, their pastor visited…

For a moment, imagine the Parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Lk 18:9-14) unfolding before us. The Pharisee is dressed to the nines. Accompanying his flowing garment is…

One of my favorite scriptural passages for use during the Rite of Baptism is found in the Gospel of Matthew (19:13-15): Then children were brought to him that he might…

In antiquity, the only measure that could be adopted to curtail leprosy and prevent contamination was the creation of boundaries similar to other boundaries that figure prominently in the Bible. Here…

On October 24, 1993, a large advertising agency launched one of the most influential advertising campaigns of all time. Its client was the California Milk Processor Board. With the use…

I cry out to you ‘violence’ but you do not intervene. Why do you let me see ruin; why must I look at misery? They are words written millennia ago, and…

During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, jesters were employed by monarchs and noblemen to help them pass the time away. By their use of song, music, storytelling, acrobatics, juggling, jokes, and magic tricks,…