In my youth, I had an uncle. He would visit once or twice a year, and every three years or so one of his visits would be at Christmas. He was an interesting and worldly person who was ever the font of fascinating information, experiences, and knowledge of the world beyond the confines of my neighborhood. He only had one habit that I found annoying. Continue reading
A reposting from All Souls 2016 – Part of the blessing being a parish priest is that you are invited into some of the most intimate moments of a family’s life. There is perhaps none more intimate and intense than the moments when illness passes through uncertain diagnosis, to one which blurs into the final days of a life. It is part of a life of ministry to be into a family whose loved one’s days are numbered. It is a privilege to journey with the family are they prepare for the loss that surely and steadily this way comes. In those times, Hope can seem more tentative, more distant; perhaps hovering on the edge of disappointment. Continue reading
During the first 300 year of the Christian church, the people of God endured periods of peace, but also extended periods of persecution. Especially in the local churches, each generation remembered the martyrs and the leaders who exemplified the faith. By the fourth century these women and men were honored in liturgies that commemorated their passing into God’s bright glory. In time, churches were named to honor their memory, sometimes even built on their tombs. And in time relics were collected and honored. Continue reading
Henry David Thoreau said “Nature abhors a vacuum.” I suspect most of us have heard that bit of wisdom, but that is not the end of Thoreau’s thought. The full quote is “Nature abhors a vacuum, and if I can only walk this life with sufficient carelessness I am sure to be filled.” I was inspired by the full quote to reflect on a gospel several Sundays ago. It is the bane of our modern existence that there seems to be so much to do and so little time to it all. But then, you are never going to do it all, but what you do – is it aligned with God’s desire for you and are you willing to commit to see it through to its good and fruitful end? “But I don’t have time!” comes the reply. Certainly, far less elegant than Thoreau, but I did run across another quote that gave me a chuckle. “‘But I don’t have time’ is the adult equivalent of ‘the dog ate my homework.’ ” We are called to be careful about how we fill up our lives with commitments. Continue reading
In writing these columns over the last several years, it seems to me that several themes are reoccurring, namely: belonging, gratitude, and commitment. I think we assume people who are faithful then display a sense of belonging, gratefulness, and commitment. But it is actually a bit the other way around. People who find an abiding sense of belonging to a worshipping community and are committed to that community, become people of deeper faith. People who intentionally practice gratitude, become more faithful and committed. Continue reading
Back in the day, I was part of a small advanced team that began the turn-over process for a fleet ballistic missile submarine as one crew relieved another crew. Our small team from the Gold Crew rode a tug into outer Apra Harbor, Guam, where we transferred to the submarine and were taken down the hatch. As soon as we were below, we instantly knew something was wrong. We had descended from the clear Pacific island breezes into the “locker room from hell.” It was though the fragrance from every high school football locker room had been concentrated in the confined space of a submarine. While you might think that description is exaggerated or part of a “sea story,” let me just say, the locker room analogy was kind compared to actual ambiance. Continue reading
In a 13th-century text called the Il Foretti (The Little Flowers), a story is told about St. Francis in which a brother friar came to him and asked, “Why after you? Why is the whole world coming after you, wanting to see you, to hear you, to follow you?” Some 800 years after the life of St. Francis, this question remains. What is it about this unpretentious figure from the early 13th century that continues to exert such a perennial fascination for Catholics and non-Catholics, believers and agnostics alike? What is it that has made Francis the subject of more books than any other saint? Why has he inspired artists, ecologists, peace activists, and advocates for the poor to claim him as a patron? Why has he inspired countless tens of thousands of men and women to follow his Rule of Life in religious and secular communities? Continue reading
I like writing – even if it is a struggle at times. There is something—I don’t know— compelling about it when the germ of a thought begins to take shape and forms itself into a more complete thought. The preparation of a homily is often like that. You sit with the readings for the coming Sunday and let one or more points rise to the surface. Some ideas will be interesting, some will make the list for some future weekend, and every once in a while, the idea is just self-evident. The homily has a beginning, a pointed end, and a clear pathway to get from one to the other. In those moments, it just seems to flow. Continue reading
There are times when I am celebrating daily Mass, I can drift off in thought. It mostly occurs during the readings as I mentally make last-minute adjustments in my homily. I have a theme, a reflection, and I always wonder what connections I should make with what going on in the world. I was thinking about – what seems to me – a recent uptick in the virulent and harsh commentaries online. You name the topic: health care, DACA, racism, border security, immigration, refugees, and much much more – and the dialogue (if you can call it that) is ever more vitriolic, acrimonious, rancorous, bitter, caustic, spiteful, savage, venomous, poisonous, and malicious. Continue reading
In thinking about this morning’s gospel, I begun to muse about the women in Jesus’ life and public ministry. The ones mentioned today, the ones at the foot of the cross, the ones who helped to grow and sustain the nascent Christian church. I have always wondered if those at the foot of the cross – those who witnessed the horrific death of Jesus – saw the Resurrection with different eyes and heart. Was it different to have been at Gethsemane, run away, heard about the crucifixion, and then be there in the upper room to witness to the resurrected Jesus? Was it different from those who saw the fullness of His suffering and death and to experience in their hearts what it truly meant to conquer death? Continue reading
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