Father Chris Looby

 Ash Wednesday places a strange and powerful message before us. In just a few moments, ashes will be placed on our foreheads. They are visible. They mark us publicly. And yet, the Word of God today insists that the heart of Lent is not about what can be seen. Saint Paul gives us the key in the second reading:  “We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us.” That is a surprising thing to hear on a day like today. Ashes remind us of our weakness, our mortality, our sinfulness. They remind us that we are dust. And yet Paul dares to say that even with ashes on our foreheads, God entrusts us with His message. Even in our need for repentance, God still chooses to work through us. That is why our Lenten theme this year is “We Are Ambassadors for Christ.” An ambassador does not speak on personal authority. An ambassador represents someone else. An ambassador carries the message, values, and intentions of the one who sends them. Lent begins not with disqualificati...

Over the past year, towns, schools, even churches have quietly started doing something unusual — they’ve shut down their comment sections on their social media posts.  Not because people disagreed, but because the name-calling became so harsh it poisoned the conversation.  And what’s especially troubling is that educators are now noticing children repeating those same labels and insults — not fully understanding them, just absorbing the contempt.  Somewhere along the way, words we once dismissed as “just talk” have started shaping hearts.  And Jesus, in today’s Gospel, has a word for that kind of speech — a word that warns us just how serious it really is. That word is “Raqa.”  It’s an Aramaic insult — not vulgar, not violent — but dismissive. It means something like “empty-headed,” “worthless,” or “you’re nothing.”   Jesus places it alongside the commandment against murder, not because the words are equal in consequence, but because they come from the sam...

This past week, WCAX ran a story about something most of us don’t think about very much—until it’s missing: road salt.  After the recent winter storms, there were reports of cars slipping, roads staying icy longer than usual, and people frustrated that streets weren’t being cleared the way they normally are.  And the problem wasn’t the snow. It was a shortage of salt. Salt is easy to take for granted when there’s plenty of it. But when it runs low, everything changes.  Roads become dangerous.  Travel becomes stressful.  Something small and ordinary suddenly turns out to be essential. And that’s when today’s Gospel sounds different. Jesus looks at his disciples and doesn’t say, “The world could really use more salt.” He says, “You are the salt of the earth.” In other words, when salt is in short supply—you’re it. Salt is small, but it’s powerful. You don’t need much of it. A pinch can change an entire meal.  That tells us something important about disciples...

  No, this is not a picture of Lake Champlain with the Green Mountains of Vermont in the background!  This is the Sea of Galilee where Jesus gave the Beatitudes during His Sermon on the Mount! There once was once a man who was offered three blessings. An angel appeared to him and said, “I will grant you whichever of these three blessings you choose: wisdom, beauty, or ten million dollars.” Without hesitation, the man said, “I choose wisdom.” There was a flash of lightning, a clap of thunder, and when it was over, the man looked completely changed. But then he just sat there, staring down at the table in front of him. One of his friends leaned over and whispered, “You have great wisdom now. Say something.” And the man said, “I should have taken the money.” It’s funny because let’s be honest: A lot of people measure “blessing” by what makes life easier, safer, richer, or more comfortable. When things go well, it’s easy to say, “I’m so blessed.” When life is hard, it’s tempting t...