El pasaje del Evangelio proclamado en la misa del fin de semana del 17 de julio fue la conocida historia de Jesús visitando la casa de Marta y María. Según mi experiencia, esta historia suele suscitar fuertes reacciones emocionales en algunos de sus oyentes. A veces la gente comenta que Jesús no agradeció a Marta sus esfuerzos. Dirán que todo el mundo debería haberse sentido afortunado de que Marta estuviera presente, pues de lo contrario nadie habría tenido nada que comer.
The Gospel passage proclaimed at Mass on the weekend of July 17 was the well-known story of Jesus visiting the home of Martha and Mary. In my experience, this story often elicits strong emotional reactions from a number of its listeners. Sometimes people will comment that Jesus did not thank Martha for her efforts. They will say that everyone should have felt fortunate Martha was present, otherwise no one would have had anything to eat.
En el calendario de la Iglesia sólo se celebran tres cumpleaños: el de Jesús (Navidad), el de María (8 de septiembre) y el de Juan el Bautista (24 de junio). A Juan se le honra de esta manera, ya que tuvo el papel otorgado por Dios de anunciar que el Mesías había llegado.
There are only three birthdays celebrated in the Church’s calendar: the birth of Jesus (Christmas), the birth of Mary (Sept. 8) and the birth of John the Baptist (June 24). John is honored in this way since he had the God-given role of announcing that the Messiah had come.
"My heart is broken.” With these words Pope Francis reacted to the slaughter of 19 little children and two teachers at a school in Uvalde, Texas. The images on television and social media were heart wrenching. We witnessed parents, grandparents and other loved ones overcome with grief as they gathered at the school, their children suddenly and senselessly snatched out of their lives by a violence as incomprehensible as it was barbarous. The cruelty of what these families have to endure is beyond description.
There’s so much darkness in the world – the darkness of sorrow, of broken hearts, of failed dreams, of illness, of loss of loved ones. The darkness is real, but so is the Light. In the midst of the worst of darkness, the light of Christ shines forth. This is the message
Several years ago I read an article by a survivor of a World War II Nazi concentration camp. One of the things she stated has stayed with me. She said that, among other things, the concentration camp taught her that evil often looks very normal.
At the beginning of each season of Lent, I have the pleasure and the privilege of celebrating the Rite of the Elect in various places across our archdiocese. The Rite of the Elect is the prayer service where those who are preparing to be received into the Catholic Church at Easter come together and publicly express their desire to be a member of the Church. Some of these people have never been baptized.
As we continue our journey of Lent, I pray that this will be a time when we draw closer to God. The Church encourages us to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent and to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. This is a minimum observance and hopefully will draw us into further observances that will assist us to live this Holy Season in a manner which will help us to love God and to love neighbor more strongly.
In some areas of our Archdiocese the joyful mayhem of the Carnival Season has begun. These festivities are found in much of southern Alabama. Even in communities where there are no carnival processions through the streets, it is still common to encounter the green, purple and gold ubiquitous this time of year.
Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. It is the same Holy Spirit who continues to distribute many different varieties of gifts. (1 Cor 12:4)
We are about to begin a new year. For many people a new year brings a sense of hope. There can be a feeling that this new year will be better than the last. There’s a clean slate before us. People make resolutions ranging from dieting and exercise to praying and personal change all aimed at making 2022 better than 2021.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, I recently read on social media a statement by an unbeliever who wrote: “How can Christians believe that God was a little baby who dirtied his diapers and had to be helplessly fed by one of His creatures? Their God is a weak and puny God.”
Last month I attended our annual meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Each November the U.S. bishops gather in Baltimore to discuss the state of the Church in our country. Baltimore is an appropriate place to come together since it is our nation’s oldest diocese. This is the traditional place for our bishops to meet. Older Americans would remember the “Baltimore Catechism” which was widely used in the 1940s and 1950s. Its name reflects that it was written by the bishops at a Baltimore meeting.
In my last article I wrote on the Synod which Pope Francis has called for 2023 and has invited the people of each diocese to have input into its preparation. In doing so, I mentioned that one of the most significant insights in the documents of the Second Vatican Council is that each of us, because of our baptism, shares in the Christ’s three roles as priest (sanctifier), prophet (teacher), and king (servant leader).
Pope Francis has called for a synod. The word “synod” means to walk together on a road, and Popes will call synods to discuss how the Church is walking together as the Family of God. The Pope has called for a synod to be held in 2023, two years from now. Synods can address different topics. The people who are selected to attend the meeting depends on the topic. The synod may be about the Church in Europe or the Church in Africa or it may be about the youth of the Church, etc.
There are those who accuse people of faith of being anti-scientific. Such people try to argue that people of science cannot be people of faith, as if the two are opposing forces. The opposite is true. People of faith delve into science knowing that the cosmos was created by an intelligent and rational God and, therefore, the cosmos must be capable of being known by intelligence since it must be rational. For Christians, the cosmos does not contain mysteries but only questions which have not yet been answered.
Last week I was reading from a sermon by Saint Augustine entitled “On Pastors.” It is addressed to those who serve as pastors in the Church. In the portion I was reading, Saint Augustine was criticizing pastors who promise that the followers of Christ will enjoy earthly ease.
As you may imagine, the Cathedral rectory where I live along with two other priests, Msgr. William Skoneki, the Vicar General, and Fr. Victor Ingalls, the Vocations Director is usually a quiet and sedate home. There is certainly activity during office hours and when there are meetings, but for the most part it is not a noisy place.
