In the News
As I prayed for a topic to write about this week, I found myself without any fresh ideas. There is always a lot going on in the world. Yet, there are two challenges in finding ideas for articles. The first is that much of what one hears in the news is the same…
Read MoreMary, Mother of God Numbers 6:22-27 Psalm 67:2-3, 6, 8 (2a) Galatians 4:4-7 Luke 2:16-21 January 1, 2026 Today is the eighth day of our Christmas season. On the 8th day after their birth, Jewish boys were taken for the circumcision rites to be marked as a child of God. …
Read MoreThe year 2025 is almost over. It is a time when many review the events they experienced in the last twelve months. We begin the new year 2026 in less than 48 hours. As one-year ends, people look forward to the new year with hope for better things to…
Read MoreThis past weekend there was the shooting of soldiers in Syria, a shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island, and a shooting at a Jewish celebration in Australia. Clearly, this was not a good weekend. In this article, I offer…
Read MoreToday is Veteran’s Day. I would like to thank our veterans for their service. Those who have read what I have written about just war theory, especially the wars between Israel and Hamas and Ukraine and Russia, might be surprised to hear me thank veterans. I am not against the military. I am…
Read MoreFrom October 22nd – 30th, the parishes I serve (St. Mary’s of the Lake and St. Benedict’s) prayed the Respect Life Novena from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) after daily Masses. Generally, some parishioners lead it but the leaders were not present one day. In their absence, they…
Read MoreOur federal government remains in partial shutdown since October 1st because of the inability of our elected representatives to agree on a budget. At times I want to write to Congress and the President to express my dissatisfaction with them. Members of each political party blame the…
Read MoreAs I looked through the news headlines this weekend for a topic to write about in today’s article, I couldn’t help but think, as is frequently the case, there are a lot of bad things in the news. Of course, this doesn’t surprise us. It’s why some people don’t watch the news. They find the news…
Read More27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year CHabakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9 (8)2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14Luke 17:5-10October 5, 2025 The prophet Habakkuk is lamenting the way things are for the Israelites. He has good reason to lament as they are…
Read MoreThere was another shooting in a church last Sunday. This time it was a Church of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon) in Michigan. Current reports indicate the shooter hated Mormons. We need to stop the hate. There is too much hate. It…
Read MoreWe are fighting a battle in the world today. The enemy in this battle is not Israel, Hamas, Russia or Ukraine. It is not an opposing political party or Islam. The enemy we need to be most concerned with is…
Read MoreI need (a lot) more patience. I’m not sure I have any patience left. I would be happy to have more patience. On Sunday, the first reading for the Exaltation of the Cross began, “With their patience worn out by…
Read MoreYesterday we celebrated the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. In my homily, I spoke about the importance of this feast in a world where shootings and violence are growing in number. Today, September 15th, we celebrate the…
Read MoreExaltation of the Holy CrossNumbers 21:4b-9Psalm 78:1bc-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38 (7b)Philippians 2:6-11John 3:13-17September 14, 2025 Our nation experienced another shooting this week. Actually, there were two shootings making the national news on the same day this week. I want the…
Read MoreLast week we had another mass shooting. This one was in a church and involved children. Places of worship are not immune to attack. The Babylonians (6th Century B.C.) and the Romans both destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem (70 A.D.).…
Read More22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year CSirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29Psalm 68:4-5, 6-7, 10-11 (see 11b)Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24aLuke 14:1, 7-14August 31, 2025 Humility and pride. We talk about them as opposites. When we do, we view “pride” as boasting about what…
Read MoreLast Tuesday I posted the first of three articles on the death penalty, “Considerations on the Death Penalty.” Then, last Thursday I posted the second article, “A Letter to a Victim’s Family.” Today’s article is writing as a letter to…
Read MoreOn Tuesday I posted “Considerations on the Death Penalty” as an introduction to the “letters” I have written concerning the death penalty. It is important that you read “Considerations on the Death Penalty” before you read what follows below to…
Read MoreLife is a gift. As we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the…
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