Reflections on Lent
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, when the sign of the cross is made with ashes on our foreheads and is accompanied by the words “Remember man that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shall...
View ArticleThree Anchors of Our Faith
Why do you exist and what are you going to do about it? That is your personal mission. To go forward with a personal mission will give you direction and clear intentions. By recognizing our values and...
View ArticleThe Famous Love of St Valentine
On February 14th, it seemed the entire world celebrated Valentine’s Day. With the internet bombarded with commercials advertising St Valentines, there were all sorts of loving expressions put on...
View ArticleThe Singing Barbie and Her Gridiron Ken
I do not know why it took me so long to think of the similarities America’s newest Celebrity Couple had to the Mattel Toy Company’s iconic dolls. I am writing about 14-time Grammy Award winning...
View ArticleLent: An Opportunity to Set Things Right
A priest was once introduced to an Army officer who was a much-decorated war hero. The priest happened to know that the officer was a fallen-away Catholic, so he said to him, “Captain, as a fellow...
View ArticleIt is Good That We Are Here
The Preface of the Second Sunday of Lent tells us that the impressive display of breathtaking glory enveloping even the body of Jesus at the Transfiguration, was shown to Peter, James, and John to...
View ArticleThe Issue of Women Deacons
The Catholic hierarchy’s recent uproar over the idea of women deacons seems as intense as their uproar over blessing gay relationships has been. I find that puzzling. After all, there is nothing about...
View ArticleSeeking God’s Healing
In my years ministering as a permanent deacon, one thing I regularly emphasize is the healing power of God. Whatever wounds we have, whether they are physical, spiritual, emotional or psychological,...
View ArticleThe Lenten Journey: A Pathway to Freedom
Lent and freedom undergo the same route. I came to realize this fact when I read the message for Lent of Pope Francis for this year, 2024, which is entitled: Through the Desert God Leads us to...
View ArticleVice as Virtue
I used to quip that the best way to eliminate crime was to legalize it. Now vice has almost reached the status of a virtue. What had been considered shoplifting is treated as mere shopping, as long as...
View ArticleGod’s Ways Are Not Our Ways
I’d bet that, for many of us when we were growing up, one of our favorite movies was The Wizard of Oz. One of the scenes from the movie that’s always stuck with me is when Dorothy and her friends...
View ArticleOffering Our Bodies as a Living Sacrifice
“You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth.” (Exodus 20:4) It should be obvious to us believers that...
View ArticleThe Issue of Women Deacons, Part 2
Part 1 of this essay explained the continuing controversy over whether the Catholic church should allow women to serve as deacons. Part 2 will consider how the centuries-old negative image of women...
View ArticleAsking God for Wisdom, Strength, and Courage
In October 2021, a pregnant girl in South America was considering abortion, but she changed her mind; because of the loving support of pro-life volunteers and priests at a women’s shelter run by the...
View ArticlePraying with a Lenten Pastoral Letter
During the Masses of February 17th and 18th, I had the grace of reading the Pastoral Letter for Lent 2024 written by the Maltese Bishops, namely Msgr. Charles J. Scicluna, the Archbishop of Malta,...
View ArticleThose Frightening Knights
The speech below was given to St. Therese de Lisieux Parish, Wellington, Florida on behalf of the Knights of Columbus Council 12738. Its purpose was for recruitment and was supplied to me by Brother...
View ArticleA Lenten Meditation
Since Lent began, I have been writing about whatever idea popped into my head. The thought of writing something devotional never entered my mind. That was until I started reading some of the other...
View ArticleActing as Courageous Disciples of Christ
Decades ago, a familiar sign held by bold believers at major sports events, simply read “John 3:16.” For those unfamiliar with the Bible, it refers to these words: “For God so loved the world that he...
View ArticleThe Reckoning
During a small dinner gathering in Michigan during the late 1990’s, Ronald Reagan’s Attorney General, Edwin Meese, answered questions following a brief speech on policy. One question posed was, “Does...
View ArticleRevisiting the Idea of Truth
“Truth” has always been one of the most important words in the dictionary. Unfortunately, it is greatly misunderstood today, and the world has been harmed as a result. The best way to begin a...
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