St. Joseph as a father
Not long ago, I was sorting through some of my Dad's old papers and I came across a candy wrapper and a Father's Day card tucked into an envelope that bore a March 2001 postmark from Rome. As ...
Opposing views of compassion
Two days in early February, one beautiful and one tragic, forced me to think deeply on the meaning and nature of compassion. First, the beautiful. Feb. 11, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, was also ...
Surrendering fears to God
These past weeks, along with millions of others, my days have been lived in the grip of a cold and icy northeast with no sign of warmth coming soon. At the cold spell began and the icy snow first fell, ...
Love of neighbor
Recently, my neighbor died. When I was at the funeral home and when I arrived at work late after his funeral, I was asked how I knew the gentleman who passed away. It was almost sheepishly, or with ...
A 'hopeful new year'
On the feast of the Epiphany, the 2025 Jubilee Year came to a close as the Holy Doors in Rome were sealed once again. I am sorry to see the Jubilee Year come to an end. I did not visit Rome this year. ...
A joyful anticipation
If there is ever a time when the difference in perspective between children and adults is stunningly clear, it is during the four weeks of Advent. As Advent begins and its weeks stretch ahead, children ...
Trading Ordinary Times for Advent
Several years ago, I was standing in a checkout line behind two women deep in conversation. I couldn't help overhearing that one was recently widowed and struggling to adjust to this new season of ...
God at the center of Thanksgiving
If most people were asked to describe a "typical" or aspirational Thanksgiving celebration, they would likely describe a scene such as that portrayed in Norman Rockwell's iconic 1943 painting, "Freedom ...
