The coronavirus is not a punishment from God. It is not a severe chastisement dealt to a world that in so many ways sins against the Almighty – by ignoring his commandments and teachings. Actually, the punishment for sin, that we surely do receive, is self-inflicted. For it has been wisely observed that sin is […]
My great-grandfather worked for the Courier-Express in the same building I work in now. He was a printer by trade, so I have black ink in my veins. As we begin work on our last print issue, I think of how much we have advanced in the 20 odd years I’ve been writing for the […]
A line from the song “Closing Time” by Semisonic has stuck with me over the years: “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” It has allowed me to understand change and how change is really the beginning of something fresh and new. Well, there have been big changes at the Western New York […]
Later this month, both major political parties will be having their nominating “conventions.” Although they will be a vastly different kind of convention because of Covid-19 accommodations, these conventions will signal the beginning of election season in earnest. And with election season, you can be sure that the rhetoric, discussions, arguments and downright nastiness will […]
Church history is filled with the lives of extraordinary people who reflect the life of God to the world. Some of the church’s saints have been trailblazers living the Gospel in a radical way and by their way of life, offered a new lens with which to see the world. On Aug. 11, the Church […]
This year on Aug. 16 we hear Jesus utter the words, “O woman, great is your faith” (Matt. 15:28). The woman is a Canaanite, the first gentile woman portrayed as having faith in Jesus in this gospel. Jesus and the disciples are in Gentile territory and an unnamed woman approaches him and begs for the […]
If you follow my thoughts regularly, you will have noticed that I rarely mention the names of partisan political figures. I do not and will not tell anyone for whom to vote. What makes me an expert? I have enough of a job to decide my own vote. I believe that people are smart enough […]
Last year, I was knocked to the ground and pinned down by an assailant who held his hand over my mouth. I cried out, “I can’t breathe!” About 30 long seconds later he finally let me go. As I reflect on the heartbreaking deadly scene of a Minneapolis police officer pressing his knee into George […]
For most people, the pandemic of the last several months turned the world upside down. Emerging from a state of emergency has brought about lifestyle changes that are referred to as the new normal. The steps we take now in order to move forward are a resurrection moment for all of us. In the sacred […]
You might have heard that in early June, Pope Francis called Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso. It’s not unusual for the pope to speak to bishops, of course, but this phone call created some news because Pope Francis called Bishop Seitz shortly after the bishop and a number of priests in his diocese participated […]
