The prophet Isaiah boldly challenges us to choose the way of fasting most acceptable to the Lord: “Releasing those bound unjustly … setting free the oppressed … sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless, clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.” If […]
I bet there have been times that you, like me, have experienced that empty feeling that you do not belong here, that you are an unwelcomed person – persona non grata. Now magnify that feeling. Imagine that you had to flee from your native country because of unbearable persecution and/or dire poverty conditions. Imagine that […]
I believe it is no mere coincidence that the U.S. national holiday celebrating the inspiring life of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is set to fall on the very same day as the presidential inauguration of Donald J. Trump – Jan. 20. I believe a king has wise and holy advice for the president. If […]
In these early days of the new year, many of us are probably feeling a mixture of anxiety and hope; anxious about the many crises in our nation and world, yet hopeful that 2025 will be better. In his Jan. 1, World Day of Peace message titled “Forgive Us Our Trespasses: Grant Us Your Peace” […]
As we journey from the anticipation of Advent to the joy of Christmas, our thoughts naturally turn to the young pregnant woman from Nazareth – “round yon virgin” – making her difficult journey to Bethlehem. Mary – humanity’s greatest model of faith – gave us the perfect example of discipleship. With total trust she became […]
Five months ago, I wrote a column titled “Dangerously close to nuclear war – please pay attention!” Now some will no doubt say that since nuclear war did not occur this column was a false alarm. Not so. Rather, nuclear war was postponed by the loving intervention of the God of creation, the God of […]
The elections are over, and now the hard work begins! Voting with an informed conscience is an important first step in exercising Catholic political responsibility. However, the more demanding task before us is to continually insist that elected officials make it their priority to protect the lives, and promote the dignity of the poor and […]
Put your political party, your conservative/liberal leanings, your wallet and your self-interest on the back burner. And instead, vote with a well-formed Catholic conscience – which requires moving to the front burner of your mind and heart the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Catholic social teaching! In the Gospel our Lord is crystal clear that […]
During his flight from Singapore to Rome, after his whirlwind pastoral visit to countries in Asia and Oceania, Pope Francis was asked by a CBS News journalist what advice he would give to Catholic voters in the upcoming U.S. presidential election when “faced with a candidate who supports ending a pregnancy and another who wants […]
About 1,600 years ago, the brilliant doctor of the Church St. Ambrose admonished those of wealth who clung to their sense of entitlement: “You are not making a gift of what is yours to the poor man, but you are giving him back what is his. You have been appropriating things that are meant to […]
