Just one week ago, Jesus Christ entered triumphantly into Jerusalem. The crowd cheered Him up by saluting Him with palms and hosannas. The environment was one of optimism. It seemed like the messianic kingdom was at hand! It was, indeed,...
Since the first Holy Thursday of his papacy, when he moved the Mass of the Lord’s Supper to a youth prison on the outskirts of Rome, Pope Francis has used this day to paint a portrait of his vision for...
As we progress through this Holy Week, turning our minds toward the great Paschal Mystery and the Passion of our Lord, I would like to share and reflect upon one of the moments that struck me deeply during the early...
As an American it is difficult at times to think beyond the Right/Left, Capitalist/Socialist dichotomy that permeates our economic and political landscape. This often makes it difficult for Catholics on either side of the aisle to understand what the Church...
In 1972, I spent 40 days in a hermitage a mile from Christ in the Desert Monastery, in Abiquiu, NM. (“Hermitage”? Please translate into standard modern English.) That is, I went camping with a friend for a couple of weeks,...
“There is more value in a little study of humility and in a single act of it than in all the knowledge in the world.” — quote attributed to St. Teresa of Avilla Shortly after Pope Francis’ election, an awful...
For a long time, Pope John Paull II was the only pope I knew. He was the pope of my childhood, and I was married with four kids by the time he died. But his death, the funeral, and the...
Five years ago, the Holy Spirit guided the Cardinals into electing our beloved Pope Francis. Five years ago, God blessed us with a new bishop of Rome. Five years ago, our dear pontiff started his work of steering the unsinkable...
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam It is hard to believe that five years have passed since Pope Francis stepped out onto the loggia at St. Peter’s for the first time, looked out on the vast crowds in St. Peter’s square, waved...
“We recognize the two thieves who are crucified next to Christ. They are us. What each of us has to answer is which one do I choose to be. The bitter thief on the left or the repentant thief on...
In a previous post I mentioned that the law of gradualism was not like Jack’s Magic Beanstalk that springs up to the sky over night, but more like the mustard seed that is the smallest of all seeds but eventually...
Some Catholics wield Trent like a baseball bat. In their hands, Canon XVIII is a blunt instrument to beat the weak over the head with. Early in his pontificate Pope Francis criticized these Catholics for being what he called “self-absorbed...
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