We have just finished recognizing Black History Month, and like many others, I took the opportunity to read and learn about not just “history,” but the effects that our American experience of race relations has had on me and others. I read “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo which outlined in detail why it is so […]
They are deadbeats who want free benefits from our country. They are taking our jobs. They are dangerous criminals who are hurting our people and our country. “They” are the 11 million undocumented migrants living in the U.S. And “they” are overwhelmingly not any of the above. Quite the contrary! Numerous studies confirm that immigrants […]
On Ash Wednesday, with dust-like ashes crossed upon our foreheads we were each invited to call to mind that this mortal body, this earthly life, is passing away – sooner than we realize – and that you and I would be wise to diligently prepare for eternity, to get our lives in God-like order. “Remember […]
Last month I wrote on the Transfiguration, emphasizing the words of God, “Listen to him,” and the setting of the passage within the journey of Jesus and the disciples to Jerusalem. Along the way, Jesus predicted his passion three times each followed by a misunderstanding by the disciples. February’s reflection concentrated on the second and […]
Slavery ended in the 19th century, right? Wrong. It’s an easy enough mistake to make. After all, the end of America’s Civil War and the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – both in 1865 – brought an end to slavery in the U.S. And the British Slavery Abolition Act in 1834 ended slavery in […]
Slavery ended in the 19th century, right? Wrong. It’s an easy enough mistake to make. After all, the end of America’s civil war and the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – both in 1865 – brought an end to slavery in the U.S. and the British Slavery Abolition Act in 1834 ended slavery in […]
With all the bumps and craters in the road to the White House, Joe Biden has finally arrived. Biden is now the President of the United States. And with all the urgent national and international issues on his plate, the man deserves and needs our full support. The new president’s “Build Back Better” plan is […]
The gospel reading for Sunday, Jan. 10th, four days after the insurrection in Washington, DC, narrates the baptism of Jesus. The passage includes: “A voice came from the heavens, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased’ ” (Mark 1:9-11). Clearly, Jesus heard the voice of God; at this point in the […]
If ever there was a time to unleash the Catholic Church’s “secret weapon,” it’s now! This nonviolent weapon if consistently used would have tremendous power to neutralize evil forces – which Pope Francis laments sadly continue to inflict grave harm even during this pandemic – like “nationalism, racism and xenophobia, and wars and conflicts that […]
Beginning on Jan. 10, the gospel readings for Sundays are taken, for the most part, from Mark’s Gospel. The weekday gospels are a continuous reading from Mark, starting on Jan. 11. Mark’s Gospel is the shortest of our four Gospels. Today almost all New Testament scholars believe that Mark was the first written. During the […]
