It is in a way providential that the Feast of Pentecost arrives this year just as our country is going through a convulsive social crisis.
Category: Columns
Resurrection: salvation and commissioning
What was the aim of the resurrection experience? The entire book of the Acts of the Apostles gives us the aim of the resurrection experience.
The skepticism of modernity in Laudato Si’
In preparation for my participation in a USCCB sponsored symposium for the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical letter Laudato Si’, I reread the famous and controversial document with some care.
Remembering those who died for our country
Navy Chaplain Curtiss Dwyer stated that Memorial Day originally was known as Decoration Day.
Why we can’t do evil so good may come
There is a curious and intriguing passage in the third chapter of St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, which in the context of the missive seems almost tossed-off, but which has proven to be a cornerstone of Catholic moral theology for the past 2,000 years.
Teacher Appreciation Week 2020
This week, all of our Catholic schools celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week. It is a time set aside to think of all the many ways that our teachers give of themselves and give to our students and families.
Trusting in Our Father’s promises during uncertain times
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“I don’t like Brussels sprouts,” complained my son one night at supper long ago.
“If you finish your Brussels sprouts, I’ll give you a noogie,” said Daddy, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
“What’s a noogie?”
“If you finish your Brussels sprouts, then you’ll find out.”One, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church
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One silver lining for me during this weird coronavirus shutdown has been the opportunity to return to some writing projects that I had left on the back-burner.
One of these is a book on the Nicene Creed, which I had commenced many months ago and on which I was making only very slow progress, given my various pastoral and administrative responsibilities.
The last several weeks, I have been working in a rather concentrated way on the Creed book, and I find myself currently in the midst of the section on the Church: “I believe in one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church.”Gov. Cuomo and God’s noncompetitive transcendence
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Last week, Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, made a rather interesting theological observation.
Commenting on the progress that his state has made in fighting the coronavirus, and praising the concrete efforts of medical personnel and ordinary citizens, he said, “The number is down because we brought the number down. God did not do that. Faith did not do that.”
Earth Day and Laudato Si’
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A parishioner asked his pastor, “Father, it seems that every time I read a Catholic newspaper, I read about taking care of the environment. Shouldn’t we Catholics be more concerned about taking care of the world’s bigger problems such as war, hunger, and sickness?”
The priest responded, “Haven’t you heard about Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ encyclical on ecology? It is the first encyclical in Catholic Church history to focus on ecology and care for creation. In this encyclical, Pope Francis makes a connection between care for the environment and war, hunger, and sickness.”