In 1920’s Mexico, under President Plutarco Calles, clergy were restricted from public religious practices, religious education was outlawed, and many Catholics were persecuted, imprisoned, or executed for their faith. These anti-Catholic measures or “Calles Laws” continued for many decades. I hope that if I lived in Mexico at that time, I would have participated in […]
Nineteenth Century British author John Ruskin once wrote: “The first test of a truly great person is humility…The greatest people among us have a curious feeling that the greatness is not in them, but it is through them; they see something divine in every other person and are endlessly, foolishly, incredibly merciful.” Humility links us […]
There are a few annual events this month that you may want to join and one big project to which I will dedicate the remainder of my active priesthood. The events include a parish picnic at Saint Francis Xavier on September 13, an “angel fund” watch party on September 21, and a Mass in Swope […]
The Jesuit priest, Henri de Lubac, once said, “The person who takes himself too seriously will not dominate his pain. His pain will dominate him, even if he seems to have got the better of it. It puts a strain on him, hardens him, withers him.” Not taking yourself too seriously is one of life’s […]
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 […]
In the early 1940s, C. S. Lewis wrote in his famous book, Mere Christianity, “Already the new people are dotted here and there all over the earth. Some are hardly recognizable: but others can be quickly recognized. Every now and then you’ll meet one. Their very voices and faces are different from ours: stronger, quieter, […]
Some people think that priests who get assigned to inner-city ministries are being punished. Their comments give them away: “You must have done something awfully bad to get sent to the ghetto” or “The bishop must really have something against you to send you back there.” Though I have done some bad things in life […]
Among Bruce Springsteen’s greatest hits is one from the mid-nineties entitled, Secret Garden. The lyrics describe how a particular woman welcomes him into her life. Spending time together, they enjoy many common experiences, engage in countless conversations, share numerous intimate moments, and go deep into each other’s lives—but only to a particular point. At that […]
There is a famous tale of a Chinese farmer whose horse ran away. That evening neighbors gathered at his place to commiserate. “That was bad luck,” they said. He replied, “Maybe it is—maybe it isn’t.” The next day, the horse returned, bringing with it seven wild horses into the corral. The neighbors reassembled there and […]
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 […]
UPON THIS ROCK 