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  THE THIRD SORROW OF MARY: The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple Each year [Jesus’] parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was 12 years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained … Continue reading →

  THE SIXTH STATION: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus                  He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace.” —Luke 8:48 It’s tempting for us to remove the humanity from this station, to view it in terms of great marble statues and stained glass. But what Veronica did was hardly clean … Continue reading →

  CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING: Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers “Work is fundamental to the dignity of a person. Work…anoints us with dignity, fills us with dignity, makes us similar to God, who has worked and still works…” – Pope Francis, Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, 2013 “My Father is at work until … Continue reading →

BUILDING A CULTURE OF ENCOUNTER  “The Christian ideal will always be a summons to overcome suspicion, habitual mistrust, fear of losing our privacy, all the defensive attitudes which today’s world imposes on us. Many try to escape from others and take refuge in the comfort of their privacy or in a small circle of close … Continue reading →

  REFLECTING ON LAST WEEK’S GOSPEL How often do we, like Peter, try to hold tight to a special moment or a feeling of joy? Something so spectacular has happened that we just don’t want it to end! It’s human nature to want to dwell in these times; after all, God gives them to us … Continue reading →

  WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR? This week, we encountered our brothers and sisters from Zambia. As we reflect on their story, we hold them in prayer: For Evelina, mothers, grandmothers and all women who work to provide nutritious food for their children. We pray to the Lord. For our own community, that we respond to … Continue reading →

  THE FIFTH STATION: Simon Helps Jesus Carry the Cross They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country … to carry his cross. —Mark 15:21 Even Jesus needed help, and he wasn’t too proud to accept it. Human beings are social beings: We are called to live … Continue reading →

  THE SECOND SORROW OF MARY: The Flight Into Egypt When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy … Continue reading →

  THE FOURTH STATION: Jesus Encounters His Mother And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary …“You yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” —Luke 2:34–35 What must Mary have been thinking, standing there in the midst of suffering, looking at her son? What pain must have … Continue reading →

  CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING: Sacredness and Dignity of the Human Person “This teaching rests on one basic principle: individual human beings are the foundation, the cause and the end of every social institution. That is necessarily so, for men are by nature social beings.” —St. John XXIII, Mater et Magistra, # 219 (Mother and Teacher, … Continue reading →