Nor do I judge according to the look of man: for man seeth those things that appear; but the Lord beholdeth the heart. –1 Samuel 16:7– Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you are like whited sepulchers, which outwardly appear to men beautiful, but within are full of
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Isn’t it amazing how many jokes there are about the hardships of married life? We’ve all heard them. Here, for example, are only four: I never knew what bliss was until I got married, and now it’s too late. My wife and I were perfectly happy for thirty years.
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As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” –Luke 9:33– Years ago, my friend Tim, an extraordinarily gentle soul, shyly told me
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Catholic priest, it has been my privilege to preside at quite a few weddings over the years. Many of the happy couples whom I’ve married insist on having what is commonly known as a “unity candle” as part of their ceremony. Perhaps you yourself have witnessed the ritual of the
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When you have done everything that was commanded you, say, “We are unprofitable servants; we have done what it was our duty to do.” –Luke 17:10– I have long been struck by the apparent harshness of Jesus labeling us “unprofitable servants.” It sounds as if Our Lord considers us
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Although I grew up in the suburbs, I attended elementary school in the heart of the city of Allentown. One day, when I was in the fourth grade, we students were busy drawing and coloring. An eager classmate proudly displayed his artwork for all to see. “What is it?”
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Therefore now they are no longer two, but one flesh. –Matthew 19:6– Most people who own cactus plants are familiar with what is known as a grafted cactus. Botanists are able to take two very different species of cactus and join them together. The resulting plant, though it would
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On Earth Day 2010, the students and faculty of Bethlehem Catholic High School were treated to an episode of the television series Planet Earth. The episode bore the title Pole to Pole, and it featured, among other wonders, some aerial footage of a wolf
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A Homily for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness. –2 Corinthians 12:9– In the late summer of 1971, Stephen Dougherty, a young seminarian only two years away from priestly ordination, was on a rural
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Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart. –Psalm 90:12– I go to prepare a place for you. –John 14:2– Whenever I discover that one of my students plays golf, I tell him or her all about Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book:
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