Category Archives: “Speak to Me Lord”

The discovery of an empty tomb is the Gospel record of the historical event of Jesus’ resurrection. No witnesses saw Jesus rising from the dead. But what they did see was Jesus’ agonizing passion, his ignominious death on the cross and the empty tomb. Continue reading →

The Gospel shows us Jesus in prayer the night before his death. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me,” he says. “Still, not my will but yours be done.” Clearly, he knew what kind of suffering he was about to undergo. Just as clearly, he recoiled at the prospect of it. Continue reading →

Jesuit Father Walter Ciszek survived nearly 20 years in Soviet prisons and Siberian labor camps. After his capture by the Russian army during World War II, he endured many false accusations, sham trials and agonizing interrogations, along with harsh starvation while working in the Siberian salt mines. Continue reading →

Here is a question appropriate for Lent: “Who am I living for?”

      The answer can be approached via other questions: “Whose happiness matters to me?” “Who am I trying to please?” “If I achieved my goals and got everything I want to have, who would benefit most?” Continue reading →

One of the first gifts we receive on entering the world is a name. With a name, unique to each individual, we are welcomed into a family and the human community. A name, given at birth, conveys the identity and essence of a person and encapsulates the story and purpose of each person’s life. Continue reading →

Today’s first reading is about as distant from us as anything in the Bible.

      The focus is on a man named Abram, or Abraham, who grew up in Ur, a city that went out of existence more than 2,000 years ago. The episode features a ceremony practiced by ancient kings, which involved walking between two rows of bloody animal carcasses. Continue reading →

Opportunities to grow in holiness are found in ordinary moments of each day — and so are temptations. In the daily routines of family life, work and study, we are tempted to compromise our relationship with God and one another. To be human is to experience temptation. Nobody is immune to the many enticements that weaken faith, destroy interior peace and harm our relationship with God and others. Continue reading →