Spirituality
Freed from Sin, We Proclaim Christ’s Invitation to New Life
Msgr. Joseph Prior explains how the resurrection of Jesus Christ helps Christians today answer the question of suffering and confusion in one word: Easter.
In His Passion and Death, Jesus Keeps Focus on the Father
Msgr. Joseph Prior explains this Sunday's Palm Sunday Gospel account of Jesus’ crucifixion and death as a celebration of God’s love, a costly love that knows no bounds.
Jesus Enters our Darkness, Dispels it, and Leads Us to Life
Msgr. Joseph Prior explains the Gospel account of Jesus' raising Lazarus to life, in the Scrutiny readings this Sunday. Christ grieves with us, then restores life through the light of his Resurrection and his defeat of death.
Though in Darkness, a Time to Rejoice in Light of Christ
The Fourth Sunday of Lent shifts color from dark violet to rose, a symbol of Christ breaking the power of sin and leading us to the light of life, and from blindness to sight.
How a Simple Request for Jesus Leads to a Movement of Faith
Msgr. Joseph Prior writes about the growth of faith in our region, and its example in this Sunday's Gospel. The Samaritan woman asks Jesus for water, and thus begins a journey of faith toward life for her and her town.
In Transfiguration, Christ Embraces Suffering, Transforms it Into New Life
A famous painting by Rafael presents a "wonderfully beautiful" insight into the human condition and Jesus' mission. It fills us with hope in Lent and through life, writes Msgr. Joseph Prior.
When Temptations Arise, Rely on Greater Beauty of God’s Love
Lent calls Christians to employ “weapons of self-restraint:” prayer, fasting and good works. The greatest of these, Msgr. Joseph Prior explains, is the ever-growing awareness of God’s love.
Jesus Teaches Us Not to Judge People, but to Show Mercy
Msgr. Joseph Prior explains the emphasis on mercy in this Sunday's Gospel. God’s judgment on the world is forgiveness and Jesus pours forth this mercy in his ministry, passion and death.
Jesus Commands Us to Show Mercy in Life’s Ordinary Moments
Just as God "is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked," so we must respond to people in our lives, writes Msgr. Joseph Prior. He points to Jesus' teaching: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
Trust in the Lord During Ordinary Life, to Face Hardest Times with Hope
“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,” says Jeremiah in this Sunday's readings. Msgr. Joseph Prior compares the prophet's plea with the Beatitudes of Jesus, which encourage his disciples to place all their hope in the Father.