Happy Lent!

As we journey deeper into Lent, the Gospel of John 11:1-45 on the raising of Lazarus, invites us to contemplate Jesus' power over death and our own need for spiritual awakening. Just as Lazarus is raised from the tomb after four days, bound yet alive at Christ's command, so too can a parish Lenten mission call us forth from the "tombs" of sin, indifference, and spiritual slumber.

Happy Laetare Sunday!

The Church invites us to rejoice during our penitential journey. The rose vestments remind us that Easter’s light draws near, even as we continue our Lenten disciplines. Today’s Gospel from John 9:1-41 presents the healing of the man born blind, a profound story of physical sight restored, spiritual vision awakened, and the challenge to see Christ truly as the light of the world.

Recently, I received a note from a teenager I met years ago. He wrote, “Dear Father Muir, you probably do not remember me, but I wanted to thank you for your inspiring and humorous homilies at the parish. They helped me appreciate the beauty of Catholicism, which I have now embraced in a personal way.” That small note moved me more than he probably imagined. I had no idea my words had taken root in him. I was simply sowing seeds — week by week, Mass by Mass.

Happy Lent!

As we continue this sacred journey of Lent, our Blessed Lord provides a glimpse of the promised resurrection glory He longs to share with each of us. Our first reading from Genesis reveals God’s promise to Abram, a 75-year-old man called by God to leave the security of his homeland, his family, and all that was familiar. Without any hesitation, Abram obeyed and stepped into the unknown with faith.

Happy Lent!

As we begin this sacred season marked by the ashes still fresh on our foreheads, imagine standing at the edge of a vast desert. The wind howls, your stomach growls, and a whisper slithers into your ear: "Did God really say that?" That question echoes from the very beginning of humanity to Jesus' temptation in the desert and straight into our own lives today!

Happy Sunday!

How shall we live? Our Sunday readings invite us to form our hearts and minds in freedom toward the good that leads to life. “If you choose, you can keep the commandments; they will save you” (Sir 15:15). The Lord sets before us fire and water, life and death, blessing and curse. This is the dignity of being able to cooperate with God’s wisdom rather than being ruled by impulse or fear.

Happy Sunday!

The Word of God this week speaks to us with a beautiful clarity and a gentle challenge. In Isaiah, St. Paul, and the Gospel, the Lord invites us to live not with a hardened faith of words alone, but with the living, beating heart of Christ.

Through the prophet Isaiah, God reminds us what it means to express a joyful and servant heart:

Happy Sunday!

The Word of God this weekend gently but firmly draws our attention to a surprising truth that God delights in working through what the world often overlooks. The prophet Zephaniah urges us, “ Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth” (Zep 2:3), and promises that God will preserve a people “humble and lowly” who live in truth and trust (Zep 3:12–13). This is spiritual strength rooted in God.