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The Church, like the world in which it lives, is a dynamic reality always subject to change. And it’s true of the Church Universal as well as the local Church.The changing Church has been on …
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1/26/23
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After a recent diocesan event, a nice young lady approached me and handed me a little cross, a simple wooden cross with smooth, rounded edges, just a few inches long. She explained that her father …
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4/11/19
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St. Francis de Sales was a bishop and eminent teacher of the faith whose life bridged the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. His most famous work, “The Introduction to the Devout Life” contains …
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1/24/19
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It is indeed rare that all four Scripture selections at Mass – Old Testament, Psalm, New Testament and Gospel readings – promote an identical message. The New Testament readings …
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1/26/23
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Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.
As you know, some of the words of the Mass change frequently, depending on the …
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9/15/22
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Recently I read about a Catholic Bishop in England, Bishop Richard Moth, who skydived from a plane at 15,000 feet to raise money to take ailing pilgrims from his diocese to Lourdes. The Bishop’s …
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10/18/18
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When Jesus appeared to his disciples after the Resurrection, he greeted them with the simple words, “Peace be with you.” This follows upon what Jesus said to them at the Last Supper: …
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4/21/22
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Q. Who made you? A. God made me.
Q. Why did God make you? A. God made me to know him, love him and serve him in this world and to be happy with him forever in the next.
Many readers will …
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11/14/19
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Upon hearing or reading the words, Dominus vobiscum, Catholics of a mature age, and increasingly today, lots of younger folks, will instinctively respond with, Et cum spiritu tuo. “The Lord be …
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2/2/23
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It was the headline I never expected to see: “Beware of Falling Iguanas.” And yet that was the local, even national, news story that appeared while I was on a brief vacation in Florida at …
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3/5/20
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A long time ago, in a faraway diocese, at a public reception, a woman engaged me in conversation to lodge some complaints about the Church. Her particular grievance was that the religious education …
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1/31/19
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You’ve probably heard the saying, “Age is just a number.” Well, I’m here to say, “No, it isn’t.” Age is much more than a number. There are lots of things …
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9/22/22
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While traveling home recently, for a long overdue visit to family and friends, I encountered several interesting situations – and people – that seemed to be a microcosm of the culture in …
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4/28/22
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In going through some personal effects recently, I came upon the rule book from my high school seminary, and in a fit of nostalgia, I spent some time paging through it.
For seminarians, the rule …
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10/25/18
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Anytime we stand at the foot of the Cross of Christ we find that we’re not alone. Among others standing there are the Virgin Mary and the Beloved Disciple John. And if we listen attentively we hear …
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4/18/19
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Two recent experiences illustrate the power of words.
The first. While walking through the church after a Funeral Mass a lady stopped me to ask: “Bishop, are you feeling okay?” “Yep, I’m …
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11/21/19
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I have great love for St. Joseph, because he is a man of silence and strength. On my table I have an image of St. Joseph sleeping. Even when he is asleep, he is taking care of the Church. Yes! We …
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3/12/20
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I’m thinking of the gentleman who called my office to say that he drove past my house every day, and that he sometimes saw a coyote prowling around, and knew that I walked my little dog in the …
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2/9/23
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I live in a cemetery. Oh, it’s not like I’m immediately surrounded by graves and tombstones, but I live in a little house on the corner of the cemetery property. Sometimes if I’m …
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5/5/22
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St. Gregory the Great was a pope who lived in the second half of the 6th century and the beginning of the 7th. He’s been honored with the title “Great” because he had a profound and …
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9/29/22
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