There is not a believer anywhere who has not demanded from the depth of his soul, “Sir, we would see Jesus.” The words of the eager Greeks in today’s Gospel echo the sentiments of everyone who seeks a personal commitment to Jesus Christ. more

Guess the author of the following quote: “We see faith, the root of all the Christian virtues, lessening in many souls; we see charity growing cold; the young generation daily growing in depravity of morals and views; the Church of Jesus Christ attacked on every side by open force or by craft; a relentless war waged against the sovereign pontiff; and the very foundations of religion undermined with a boldness which waxes daily in intensity. more

The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ on Mount Tabor in the company of his three select disciples reinforces the victory of the Savior over Satan that was proclaimed in last week’s Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent. more

Nicholas II, the murdered Tsar of Russia, died savagely 91 years ago with his wife, son, four daughters and a few family attendants. more

When Pope Benedict visited the United States last April, he spoke to the bishops of this country assembled in Washington’s Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. more

Shortly before Christmas, Bob Kerr, columnist for the Providence Journal, wrote about two men with AIDS who visited the Lincoln Middle School to advise the eighth graders about this wasting disease. more

Oddly, there are no exorcisms in the entire Old Testament. The 45 books of the Hebrew Scriptures certainly recognize the existence and horror of evil, but demon possession is never encountered within its pages. Neither does the Gospel according to St. John feature any episodes of demon possession nor any demonic exorcisms. more

A peculiar idea that surfaces from time to time is the notion that Jesus Christ never intended to found an actual Church. A few have proposed over the years that Jesus came simply to announce a Gospel of salvation and reconciliation. more

Older Catholics will well remember when Catholics were distinguished by a series of good works. more

A devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows is not a piety that one would associate with the post-Vatican II Church. more

Ninety-year-old evangelist Billy Graham has announced through his son that he is not in the running for unofficial White House chaplain, an informal position he has sometimes held in previous administrations. more

A couple of Sundays ago, page two of the Providence Journal featured photographs of seven personalities highlighted during the week. more

“Watch, therefore,” this Sunday’s Gospel for the First Week of Advent warns rather ominously. more

“Secrets of the Dead,” viewed on the Public Broadcast System, investigates critical events of bygone generations bringing to light exactly how history evolved into the world of today. more

The recent movie The Duchess allowed me to indulge my fascination with British history. more

Once a month I bring Holy Communion to the Alzheimer unit of a swanky assisted living facility located in the parish. more

A parishioner handed me a slim book entitled “Church History 101.” As the title implies, the brief treatise outlined Catholicism’s 2,000 years in summary fashion: the ancient church, the medieval church, the reformation church, the modern church. more

When I was a newly ordained priest in 1966, a classmate, Vin Maynard, observed, “Kiley, you preach the same sermon every week: social justice through the liturgy.” The assessment was probably valid. more

Continued from last week’s column Unless there is a problem with impotency, a husband is always fertile. Men are capable of engendering children from their teenage years until death. more

One area of life that would seem to be exempt from the cross, at least in the popular imagination, is sexual relations. more