Perspective
Parish boundaries still matter
In my 30 years of priesthood I have come to see the genius in the fact that every Catholic diocese is divided into parishes with definitive geographical boundaries; the strongest […]
Perspective
‘God wants me to be happy’
A reflection on a deeply flawed moral stance One of the questionable, and unfortunately common, forms of moral reasoning today is the rather narcissistic notion that God wants each of us […]
Perspective
The destination must direct the way
Many people say that they don’t hear too many sermons about hell anymore. I believe this is true in general, but I will say that I preach about it a […]
Perspective
The ground is level at the foot of the altar
There is something remarkably universal about most Catholic parishes in the U.S.: Our parishioners come from everywhere. The Catholic Church is 2,000 years old, is a presence in every country, […]
Perspective
The need to persist in prayer and wear God out
In the Gospel reading from Thursday, March 14, the Lord teaches the need to persist in prayer. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock […]
Perspective
In the winter of faith, keep working
As I write this, it is midwinter in the Northern Hemisphere. Like each season, winter has its time, its three months. To many of us, there seems to be a […]
Perspective
Our most primal fear
At Mass for Wednesday of the first week of the year, we read a text from Hebrews that describes our most basic and primal fear. Our inordinate fear of what people […]
Perspective
On the loss of faith as a cause of our current crisis
In the Liturgy of the Hours last week, we read a remarkable (sic) attributed to St. Macarius, a bishop of the early Church. I marvel at its vivid imagery, and […]
Perspective
Sober but serene themes of judgment in the spirituals
I’ve often been impressed by the ability of old African-American spirituals to treat serious subjects in a clear, memorable and almost joyful way. This is true even of weighty matters […]
Perspective
What conscience dreads and prayer dares not ask
The Collect (opening prayer) for last week’s Masses (27th Week of the Year), though directed to God, teaches us that our prayer is not always about things with which we […]
Perspective
Sacraments, not social events
A common pastoral problem today is that many people have reduced the liturgy and the sacraments to ceremonies. To be sure, they have ceremonial aspects, but they are not mere […]