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The Ninth Station: Jesus Falls for a Third Time Sometimes it may feel as though we’ve fallen one too many times. We can’t possibly get up again. God must be done with us-how can we be forgiven once more? We keep falling, keep failing, and we’re weighed down by shame and guilt. No one can love us enough to enable us to go on. But God is not done with us; God never tires of forgiving us, of showing us mercy! Failure should not keep us down-think of Timothy from Malawi. How hard did he work and struggle to make life better for his family? Continue reading →

St. Anthony of Padua, patron saint of harvests, the poor and lost items (1195–1231) “St. Anthony, St. Anthony, please come around. Something is lost which cannot be found!” How often have we said this short prayer when we’ve misplaced our car keys, a favorite toy or a piece of jewelry? We often ask for St. Anthony’s intercession, maybe even without realizing that we’re praying! Continue reading →

In last Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus gives sight to a beggar man who has been blind since birth. But even after his blindness is cured, the man in the story is not sure that Jesus is the Messiah … until Jesus tells him plainly at the end of the parable! When the Pharisees question the man, he tells them that Jesus must be a prophet, that such a miracle could not be possible without God’s will. Continue reading →

As human beings, we are social by nature. Made in the image and likeness of God-a God who is Three Persons in One, a community of Persons-we, too, are called to enter into community, to take care of one another. That means we pray for our neighbors, but it also means we look out for their physical needs. Continue reading →

“Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” -1 Peter 4:8–10 Continue reading →

The Tenth Station: Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments When we think of those necessities the poor sometimes go without, there are probably several key items that come to mind: food, water and shelter, to name a few. Certainly, as we reflect on this week’s Story of Hope from Haiti, we recognize the importance of good healthcare for the development of children and communities. Continue reading →

Just three words from last Sunday’s Gospel-three words easily missed, easily forgotten. Perhaps we didn’t even hear them, or let them sink in. After all, shortly thereafter, Jesus raises a man from the dead-a feat far more interesting than a few shed tears! But there’s something deeper here, something very important that deserves a moment’s reflection: Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity, the God of the Universe wept. And why? Because he encountered the suffering of those around him. Continue reading →

The Eleventh Station: Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross We’ve all been there-stuck in a seemingly impossible situation, weighed down, perhaps, by financial burdens, family obligations or the opinions of others. We’ve all been nailed to the cross. And it may feel as though we’ve come to the end; we can’t move, can’t maneuver our way out of this bleak situation. We have been left alone to flounder. Continue reading →

Lives of the Saints: St. Mother Maria Guadalupe Garcia Zavala, “Mother Lupita” (1878–1963) Pope Francis continues to call each of us to work with and for the poor, and we are reminded of that call in a special way by the example of one of the first saints the Holy Father canonized: St. Mother Maria Guadalupe Garcia Zavala, known as Mother Lupita. Continue reading →

The Twelfth Station: Jesus Dies on the Cross By human standards, the crucifixion and death of Jesus is the ultimate failure. Members of the Jewish community had waited so long for the Messiah, had put their faith and hope in a man they believed had come to liberate them, and he died a gruesome, horrific death. It was a devastating, final moment, and so many of Jesus’ friends had already fled the scene, abandoning their hope in a better future. Continue reading →