Michaelangelo Buonarotti’s famous Pieta depicts the lifeless body of Jesus taken down from the cross and placed on his mother’s lap and in her loving arms. The horrific anguish of the scene illustrates that Christ’s rejection, condemnation, and killing by our world fulfilled the prophecy that a sword of great sorrow would pierce Mary’s heart. […]
Herman Melville once wrote, “We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads and, along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes, and they return to us as results.” “Catholic” means universal. The Catholic Church has been a good reminder through time that all humanity is part of […]
Among the numerous contributions that the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) has given to our nation and world is the simple yet profound message that we, by our mere existence, have an obligation—and simultaneous privilege—to make our community a better place to live, learn, work, and worship. As children of the earth and children […]
Hamilton W. Mabee once said: “Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.” It’s a wondrous scene in urban parishes each December as numerous inner-city residents line up at churches to receive cart loads of groceries and/or gifts to share with loved ones in their humble dwellings during the […]
In the mid-1980s, when Eric Clapton was going through dark personal struggles and loss, he wrote a beautiful song, Holy Mother. It is a prayer of surrender which expresses his conversion from being self-centered to being centered in the mystery of life, God, and connecting to others in efforts that contribute to society’s good rather […]
Though I don’t suppose most churches have a designated parish bar, many of those that I served happened to. Down the street from my first assignment, Visitation Parish, was the (original) Peanut; members of Vis often shuffled there after meetings, games, prayer, or community gatherings. Teachers periodically assembled there on Friday afternoons for happy hour. […]
October begins with the Feast of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus (aka The Little Flower or Therese of Lisieux). The middle day of the month is dedicated to Saint Teresa of Jesus (aka Teresa of Avila). I have the privilege of serving as priest for Saint Therese Little Flower (STLF) Parish in urban KC […]
Across the deep blue ocean, church leaders have gathered at the Vatican for a continuation of the ecclesial synod as the pope prays that the church will be welcoming to all people and that governments throughout the globe will promote the dignity of every human person. Pope Francis recently commented that the American presidential election […]
Billie Joe Armstrong, lead singer of the American rock band, Green Day, wrote a famous song called Wake Me Up When September Ends. It is a lament about his father who died when the boy was only ten. Released in 2005, it was adopted by the citizens of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast after […]
I want to thank all of you for your outpouring of food, clothing, gifts, and gift cards to inner-city residents. Over the past week, you have filled my garage with grocery bags for Saint Therese Little Flower’s food pantry and Saint James’ thrift store to help fellow citizens get through the summer and gain a […]
UPON THIS ROCK 