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 […]
The Sunday Gospel readings this July contain several of Jesus’ parables. In teaching with parables, Jesus is clearly using a technique from his Jewish background since these short narratives are found in the Old Testament and later rabbinic literature. What is a parable? It is a brief story using something familiar to the reader/hearer to […]
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 […]
The Sunday Gospel readings this July contain several of Jesus’ parables. In teaching with parables, Jesus is clearly using a technique from his Jewish background since these short narratives are found in the Old Testament and later rabbinic literature. What is a parable? It is a brief story using something familiar to the reader/hearer to […]
As I write this (May 8) the New York State Police have issued an Amber Alert for a 9-year-old missing boy, Gustavo, probably kidnapped. The alert features the boy’s name, hair and eye colors, and what he is wearing. All were asked to be on the look-out for him. Thankfully, he was found safe. The […]
We have entered a period of response to the pandemic now when there is a great deal of discussion about which social policies are appropriate going forward. Should we open businesses? Which ones? Should we wear masks or not? Should we maintain social distancing? Which activities should still be banned? When and under what conditions […]
By divine design, the Feast of Pentecost occurred on May 31, the point of transition to a new month and a gradual return to a sense of normal on the tails of the coronavirus global pandemic. After three months of the New York pause, we have been not unlike Mary and the apostles gathered in […]
While to a certain degree returning to “business as usual” will not likely happen, that does not mean the vast majority of those who hold most of the world’s wealth and power will not use every advantage at their disposal in trying to hold onto broken, corrupt, unjust systems – what St. John Paul II […]
All of us have had the most unusual Lent and Easter that perhaps we will ever experience. The COVID-19 pandemic forced many of us to work remotely, stock up on essentials and even close our churches for the most important holy days of the year. While our pastors scrambled to figure out how to observe […]
Every crisis not only tests the faith and resolve of those who experience it, but it also creates opportunities for both compassion and reflection. This pandemic is no different. In the midst of so many concerns about business, the economy, eating out, and “normal” life, we are called to acknowledge that, as in so many […]
