Dear Friends,
This past Sunday we heard the moving Gospel passage of “the vine and the branches,” wherein Jesus makes clear that He, Himself, is the true vine to which we must all remain attached, and only through which can we bear any fruit.
Category: Bishop
It takes bravery to follow Christ as priests
This past Sunday is often called, “Good Shepherd Sunday.” The word the Scriptures use is really not adequately translated in English as simply, “good.” The word really means, “honorable, worthy, noble,” or, “so excellent in every way that its goodness is itself beautiful.”
Statement of the Diocese of Madison
Statement of the Diocese of Madison, regarding coverage of the delicate situation in Platteville, in the Wisconsin State Journal
This past weekend, the Wisconsin State Journal chose to run a story on the sad events surrounding the closing of St. Mary’s School in Platteville.
Instead of reporting the facts as they are, the State Journal opted to turn one of the expressed reasons of Bishop Robert C. Morlino’s letter (that of “In charity and in justice, I must caution you most strongly that this cannot continue. I do this now in sincere hopes of avoiding the issuance of Canonical warnings [or penalties]”) into the exact opposite and the basis for their entire story.
Seeking peace of God through repentance
Dear Friends,
In the Gospel passages of the last few weeks, we have heard time and again how real the Resurrection is. Jesus rose, not with the same physical body He had before, but He rose with a real body that could be touched. His real glorified body could somehow be touched, with the nail marks in the hands and the feet, and the wound in the side from the soldier’s lance. All those wounds were visible and tangible in Jesus’ glorified body.
Freedom through Christ’s Resurrection
Dear Friends,
What a joy the celebration of the Sacred Triduum was and what a joy this Easter has been for me, and I hope it was the same for each of you!
Among the joys for me at Easter was the spending of time with many of our diocesan seminarians, who always inspire me with joy and with hope for the future.
Letting the splendor of holiness shine forth
Dear Friends,
So much flows from our Holy Week celebration, culminating, of course, in the celebration of the Resurrection. The Easter celebration, in which we now find ourselves, truly is the center and wellspring of our faith and our entire year.
Let the beauty of the Cross shine through
Dear Friends,
As you read this week’s column you may be either in the heart of Christ’s Passion or the Joy of His Resurrection. Thus, I’d like to reflect upon the paradox that is the beauty of the Cross, and the paradox that is our own tendency to turn against God’s plan for us, despite the fact that His plan is for our happiness and eternal life.
Priest Appointments (April 1, 2012)
Rev. Msgr. James […]
Religious freedom, freedom of conscience
Dear Friends,
Last week I was privileged to be a witness to religious freedom and freedom of conscience with nearly 500 faithful people at the Federal building in downtown Madison. Such rallies had been quickly organized around our nation and I know that not all who might have come were able (or even aware of the events).
Drawn to the light of Truth
Dear Friends,
This past weekend we celebrated, Laetare Sunday, that is, “Rejoice Sunday.” As someone who watches and reads the news a lot, I’m tempted to be left in a less-than-Laetare mood — not much of a mood to rejoice.