Just as our church has annual holy days to honor noble saints so does our nation have annual holidays to honor noble citizens. As we approach Martin Luther King Day (January 19), we’ll be reminded that it is not supposed to be a day off but a day on; some think of it not as […]
Each year, Catholics commemorate aspects of the early life of Jesus on various feasts during the Twelve Days of Christmas. Included therein is the Gospel story of His family’s flight into Egypt as immigrants who sought asylum from terror in their home country. In modern America, as well as many places around the globe, we […]
Advent means the Coming or Arrival. Each year Christians join in a four-week, end of calendar, spiritual journey. But it is a little difficult for us to comprehend exactly what is coming, whether it comes now, or only at the journey’s end. I’ll start with the coming of light that dispels the darkness of suffering […]
This thanksgiving weekend marked a milestone in the life of Saint Therese Little Flower Parish in Kansas City: our one hundredth anniversary. The rock band, Five for Fighting, in their turn-of-the-century hit song, 100 Years, sang “I’m ninety-nine for a moment and dying for just one more moment, but I’m moving on and counting the […]
Nathan Soderblom once stated, “Saints are people who make it a little bit easier for the rest of us to be good.” They are light bearers, they are trail angels, they are people with rough edges like everyone else but who have somehow remained focused on God and our destiny toward a better existence. Or […]
A sanctuary is a protected place where birds, animals, or people can gather to find refuge and safety from dangerous conditions. It’s original meaning has biblical roots and refers to an enshrined haven or holy place set apart because God’s presence is made manifest there. The portable tent used by Jewish ancestors while wandering in […]
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 […]
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 […]
UPON THIS ROCK 