Browsing Fr. Jasper's Homily
That’s What Love Can Do
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
I’m sorry.
I feel like those words never really come from the Church in any official way whenever the topic of divorce comes up. Instead, we are more likely to hear: Don’t do it. It’s a sin. Shame.
And yet, I know that every person in this church ... Read More »
Not Supposed To Be This Way
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
That wasn't what was supposed to happen.
How often have we expressed such thoughts when life (or the Lord) seems to throw us a curve ball?
A week or so ago, I visited a family from my former parish in Wilmington who had just found out some devastating ... Read More »
Kids Incorporated
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
For those of us of a certain age who grew-up in the Delaware Valley, the name Al Alberts immediately takes one back to Saturday morning TV, the lost art of local kid-friendly programming, and that unspoken thought that, yes, you too could be on Mr. Albert’s Showcase: singing, ... Read More »
Confession Time Change Starting in October…
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
September 22, 2024
On the morning of my First Confession in second grade, I had to be pulled from line and quickly ushered outside to the front steps of the church, where I unceremoniously threw up all over the potted geraniums that stood alongside the railing. It ... Read More »
The Shape of Love
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
I recently had the opportunity to spend some time celebrating the sacraments for high school seniors from Washington D.C. who were here on retreat at Sandy Cove, a beautiful spot right down 272 along the North East River. Many of the students were not Catholic, so when it ... Read More »
Love Me Tender
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
The woman who sat before me had it all, or so it seemed – a dream job, a house in the suburbs, and a healthy toddler with another baby on the way. She was often surrounded ... Read More »
Linens and Things That Matter
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
Apparently I am not a proper folder of church linens.
How do I know?
Many years ago when I had entered formation for the priesthood, one of the monsignors in charge of overseeing the house jobs we were assigned would tell me quite often that the creases on ... Read More »
Oh Paul
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
The legends abound in Catholic-world of what has happened whenever Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is proclaimed – and the uncomfortable part is not safely removed. We all know “the line”:
“Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord.”
Oh, Paul. Paul. Paul.
One lector ... Read More »
Not How But Why
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
In the end, the Jewish followers of Jesus – himself a Jew – were asking the wrong question.
Certainly the question was understandable. What Jesus said was, in fact, shocking. He literally stands there and tells them that his flesh is true food and his blood true drink.
... Read More »
Imitators of God
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
Every now and again there appears a feel-good human interest story at the end of the nightly news or within the local newspaper that stays with you long after you hear it. The Good Samaritan who pulled-over to deliver a baby alongside the interstate; the inner-city teacher who ... Read More »