If you have been following this blog for a while – first of all: thank you! Secondly you probably realize that by following the cycle of Liturgical readings I have been around the loop more than once. Many (or most) of the times, the Monday through Friday postings of gospel commentaries for the upcoming Sunday are re-posts of something from three years ago. For example, the posting for the week of February 4th (5th Sunday, Year C) was actually written about 6 years ago – updated a bit three years ago – and simply re-posted this year. That being said the following weeks were new as I had never had the need to provide a commentary on the gospels for the 6th, 7th, or 8th Sundays of Year C. Just a quirk of when Easter falls in a particular year. Continue reading
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This weekend we have visiting priests/homilists, so I have a “preaching holiday” so to speak. The unusual thing is that this is the 
It has been a busy start to the year with lots of parish activities, lots of ministries, and… well… just lots of life. It is hard to believe that Ash Wednesday is this week marking the beginning of a penitential season for the faithful. I find that most of us have lost the core idea of “penance.” Most will answer that “penance” is the prayers and actions that the priest gives you at the end of the Sacrament of Confession. And indeed, that is true. But that is really just the “period at the end of a sentence.” The older, deeper meaning of penance might be better described as the period “at the end of chapter” in the story of one’s life. 
Last week I wrote about the role of technology in the complex of temptation. Research is showing that online behavior is changing. A few years ago, someone’s ranting, raving and other poor behaviors might seem just the exception. Now we are increasingly part of a world in which poor behavior online and in the public square is more the norm. And slowing becoming acceptable. Just think about the way politicians use texting and social media, not to engage a different viewpoint, but to name call, denigrate, and dismiss others. This is just part of a larger complex in which the moral compass of the nation, a community, a family and an individual are reordered. 
The playwright Oscar Wilde once wrote, “I can resist anything except temptation.” The humor of the remark is mixed with a sad recognition that we fail so often to resist the temptations that come our way each day and from every direction. Of course, there are temptations and then there are temptations writ large. What are people’s greatest temptations? Why? What are their “favorite” sins – indicated by frequency and repetition? Why do we so often find ourselves in the same position as St. Paul? “What I do, I do
“Bless me Father, for I have sinned….” Among the most frequently confessed sins are anger, being judgmental, and impatience. “Patience is a virtue.” We’re all familiar with that expression. Patience is listed by St. Paul in Galatians 5:22-23 as among the fruit of the Spirit. So, there’s no disputing that the Christian ought to be patient. But is impatience a sin? W. H. Auden, the English-American poet, wrote “Perhaps there is only one cardinal sin: impatience. Because of impatience we were driven out of Paradise, because of impatience we cannot return.” Insightful about the human condition to be sure, but not sure that has standing in the world of moral theology. 
A couple of years ago, one of the parish staff members, Jennifer Williams, wrote a wonderful piece for this column. Here are some excerpts: “Catholics, in general, are reluctant to talk about their faith in the presence of others. Why? It is easy to talk about church issues and controversies or moral values but not about our relationship with Christ or about how we recognize God’s action in our lives. It seems socially ungracious to ‘talk religion’ around the water cooler or on the golf course or at the swimming pool.” 
I like trivia games. Nothing too esoteric or arcane, but still a bit challenging. A friend of mine knows music. Not my specialty. Because of life on a submarine, time in Kenya, and formation time as a friar and priest, I have large gaps in my musical knowledge and exposure. I do alright in history, swimming, and (likely no surprise here) the Bible. 
Very soon you will receive a mailing from the Diocese regarding the 2019 Annual Pastoral Appeal (APA). It contains a letter from our Bishop, some materials describing the ways in which your annual contribution is needed to support diocesan programs, and of course, the contribution card with a return envelope. It is one means by which the diocese and parish raises funds to support the parish’s payment of general administrative costs and programs operated by the diocese in our name and on our behalf. It is a needed and worthwhile endeavor. 
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