Prepare for, rejoice in, and live out the holy season message By Father Joseph Brando We are approaching one of the great highlights of the year. If we can look at the entire calendar from afar, we can see Christmas and Epiphany shining out and giving us hope. In a …
Living the readings: The bounty of summer
In this Year of Mercy, we find God’s grace is truly abundant By Father Joseph Brando Now that they Easter season is completed with the feast of Pentecost, we return to Ordinary Time. However, this year is different. We are celebrating a Year of Mercy, which changes the way we look …
Living the readings: The Easter season
Fifty days of rejoicing lead the faithful to feast of Pentecost By Father Joseph Brando In this previous column, we explored the entire season of Lent. Today, we will delve into the Sundays of the Easter season, including the great day of Pentecost. Since we are covering twice as many …
Living the readings: Preparing to meet the Lord
Scripture shows us how God makes himself visible to humans By Father Joseph Brando It’s hard to believe. With my Christmas tree still shining forth in my living room, I am writing a column that features the first three Sundays of Lent. One of the factors of getting old is …
Living the readings: Preparing for the end
We live in time and eternity as Christ offers us eternal life By Father Joseph Brando It may seem strange to many that the liturgical calendar begins with our preparation and celebration of the birth of the Messiah whereas our daily calendar (which is a Christian product) begins on the …
Of prophets and kings
By Father Joseph Brando In modern times, the relationship between church and state is complex and difficult. The complication is due to multiple factors, including the migration of peoples, race, military power, the attitude of the people, and the power of one or more ethnic groups in the nation, among …
It All Comes Clear Now
By Father Joseph Brando November, in these parts, is the time when trees reach their brightest glow. Then their leaves, by means of a parachuting parade of color in a gloriously choreographed leap, dance to the ground. When that display is completed, the people who lived, spring and summer, under …
Living the readings: Making it through rough times
Many lessons are learned about God’s abundant love August is known for its long hot days and sweaty boring nights that made kids wish school were back in session. Schools, in Tennessee at least, have accommodated this desire and have welcomed the children back ever earlier each year, making today’s …
From Jesus to the Church, May is a perfect connection
By Father Joseph Brando May is that perfect connection between the winds and rains of early spring and the heat of summer. It is a transition that contains the best of both sides. The scriptures used in the Sunday liturgies of May do the same thing theologically. The storms and …
Living the readings: Being cute
A child’s description of the Christ Child becomes an epiphany As I was preparing my homilies for the Christmas Masses, I found myself trying to come up with a word that would explain the reaction Jesus received from the shepherds and the Magi. They were enthralled by the Christ Child …
From the sublime to the Ordinary
The Liturgy of the Word for January is a fine tapestry woven into an intricate collage. One end, starting the Octave Day of Christmas, features the Book of Numbers where God tells Moses to teach Aaron how to bless the Israelites. It depicts the ideal living out of the Old …
Unveiling the future
November is the month we close out Ordinary Time and make way for Advent and the beginning of the new Liturgical Year. It does so, however, with a flourish. We all get excited by books and movies that try to tell us about the end of the world. November presents …
