The late John Prine, in his song, Pretty Good, offered a clever response to all the people who ask, “How are you?” He says, “Pretty good, not bad, I can’t complain; but actually everything is just about the same.” To ask, “How are you doing?” (How’s it going? What’s up?) is to share in a […]
As the United States enters our two hundred fiftieth year as a nation, we can look back with much gratitude for the freedom, liberty, and opportunities given to us, while we also call to mind the sorrows of many who sacrificed and suffered in the past as well as those who struggle today. We contemplate […]
Motivational speaker and acclaimed writer, David Brooks, in his book The Second Mountain, articulated four “commitments” that make a person’s life meaningful and fulfilling. The four foundations have to do with home life, work life, social life, and philosophy of life. In discussing them with various people and groups I know they ring true; though it […]
Ninety-eight years ago, Max Ehrmann wrote the prose poem Desiderata. It begins with the memorable and soothing line, “Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence.” This pensive starter gives contrast to the noisy chaos of our hasty world in which it is so easy for us […]
Twentieth century clergyman and author Norman Vincent Peale made famous his Parable of the Prenatal Baby which he first told to a wealthy and powerful aging man who asked him about the mysterious afterlife. He told it not to explain an unknowable reality but to offer us enlightenment through faith, intelligence, and common sense; he […]
As we approach Good Shepherd Sunday, the Catholic Church welcomes our new spiritual father, successor to Peter, and universal shepherd, Pope Leo XIV. Though his predecessor, Francis, was the first American pope and one who reached out to and established the church’s significance in the eastern hemisphere like none before him, Leo is the first […]
The world became a better place because it got to know Francis. When Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires was introduced as the new pope in March of 2013, he reminded us of God’s merciful love and benevolent compassion for every person. As he promised his friends in Latin America, he would not forget the […]
Most of us believe that the Last Supper was a Passover Meal, or Feast of Unleavened Bread—at least that’s the way it is presented in three of the four Gospel accounts. Matthew, Mark, and Luke report it that way, but John offers a different view. In his Gospel, Jesus is crucified the day before the […]
While the New Testament scriptures were written in the first century, Christians were getting persecuted, especially in Rome. According to a famous legend, Peter, Jesus’ choice to lead the church, was fleeing the city to escape the suffering when he encountered Christ going the other way—into the wreckage and turmoil. Peter asked Him, “Where are […]
About thirty years ago, when I served as vocation director for our diocese, members of a particular religious order visited Kansas City to recruit future priests. They asked my help to secure a home where some young men could gather to learn about their order. A wonderful couple stepped up to graciously host them. After […]
UPON THIS ROCK 