What is the significance of all the sacramentals-holy water, candles, incense? When the younger children in grade school come to Mass, they understand the homilies best when there are lots of visual aids. Clocks, treasure chests, oversize pencils, flashlights and props of all kinds help them grasp the meaning of the Gospel and how...
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This weekend’s gospel story of the woman at the well, coupled with our local flooding concerns, challenges us to think about water in many ways – spiritually, socially, economically, environmentally. It is fitting that World Water Day, sponsored by the U.N., was recognized this past week, with the theme of “Water for Cities: Responding...
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What does Jesus mean when he talks about taking up our cross? Our parents and grandparents used to say to us, “Nothing worthwhile is ever easy. You have to work at it.” Anything of substance and value requires patience, effort, and careful planning. If it were easy to do, there would not be much...
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Lectionary Year A focuses on the Gospel of Matthew. What are the Gospel’s key concerns and messages? The community that produced Matthew’s Gospel faced a myriad of issues. The Gospel, probably written around 85 AD, addresses a community consisting primarily of Christian Jews who accepted Jesus as their Messiah. This places them in conflict...
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A Valentine’s Day Blessing Love, the Bible says, is patient. May you never lose your temper with the one you love, but be patient as God was with his people. Love, the Bible says, is never boastful. May you cherish your love as a masterpiece of God, and not as a trophy to be...
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Nativity Parish will be offering a Parent Seminar session on the Child Lures Prevention program on Wednesday, February 16, 6:30-7:30 pm in the Nativity Middle Room. This program is being offered as part of the Diocese of Fargo continuing education in the prevention of sexual abuse among children and young people. All parents with...
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Why do we confess to priests? Can’t we just confess to God? Let’s just suppose for a moment that I, as an underpaid writer, decided that I needed some fast cash and so I rob a store! Whom would I owe an apology to? Certainly I would apologize to the store’s owner, as well...
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A special blessing of throats occurs on the feast of St. Blaise, February 3. What is the origin of this? St. Blaise, Biagio in Italian, Blasco or Blas in Spanish, was a bishop of Sebaste, Armenia, in modern Turkey, who was martyred for witnessing to the faith. He was tortured and beheaded for his...
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I was surprised to learn that not all countries celebrate the same holy days. If we are traveling and the country where we are does not celebrate a holy day that we do in the USA, must we go to Mass? There are ten holy days of obligation: Mary, the Mother of God; Epiphany;...
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Zephaniah 2:3,3:12-13; I Corinthians 1:26-31;  Matthew 5:1-12 Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount is often referred to as the beatitudes.  A beatitude was a literary form used by many ancient cultures to try and explain how to live in a world in which good and bad behavior, is rewarded or punished.  This was a...
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