Columns Archive

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Perspective

And you are Christ’s

Kiara: “I’m not just a princess, you know. That’s only half of who I am!” Pumbaa: “Oh. Uh, who’s the other half?” Kiara: “Oh, well, I …” While a new […]

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The Sunday Gospel

Following the Lord demands focus and sacrifice

Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Luke 14:25-33 The Book of Wisdom provides this weekend’s liturgy with its first Scriptural reading. According to scholars, this book was written in Alexandria, Egypt, […]

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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 […]

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Perspective

Holy days of obligation

We have begun the four-and-a-half-month span — between the solemnities of the Assumption (Aug. 15) and Mary, Mother of God (Jan. 1) — into which all our holy days of […]

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Perspective

Who is ignoring women’s health?

“You are entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.” This observation, attributed to Democratic politician Daniel Patrick Moynihan, comes to mind as I […]

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Perspective

An authentic democracy

Those of us who have grown up within the womb of a democratic society may not always recognize how radical the idea behind such a society actually is, nor how […]

Do we really believe in the Real Presence? Default Thumbnail
Perspective

Do we really believe in the Real Presence?

When Pope Francis recently said that every time we receive Communion, it should be like our first time, it reminded me of a friend’s story. He had left his then-youngest […]

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Perspective

Getting beyond Darwin

Bishop Robert Barron and others working hard to evangelize the “Nones” — young adults without religious conviction — tell us that a major obstacle to a None embracing Christianity is […]

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The Sunday Gospel

The Lord wants to welcome all to His eternal kingdom

Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time Luke 13:22-30 The Book of Isaiah provides the first reading for this weekend. Isaiah is a fascinating book of Scripture. It covers a long period […]

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The Sunday Gospel

Resist the pressure to turn away from Christ

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Luke 12:49-53 The Book of Jeremiah is the source of the first reading for this weekend. Jeremiah is regarded as one of the more important […]

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Perspective

Marriage: When expectations yield to love

This summer marks the special occasions of David’s and my 40th anniversary and the marriage of our older son Ryan to Sarah, our new daughter. In one of the pre-wedding […]

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Perspective

Living in largo: in praise of a slower pace

There is an art and a science to slow living. This summer I’m trying to learn both. In music you can measure it. The tempo called “largo” – Italian for […]