Reflections of a Simple Priest

About 50 years ago, when the Church met in the great event we now know as the Second Vatican Council.  They began a reform of the liturgy.  One of those reforms made some serious changes to our readings at mass.  While in the past there was only a single year's cycle of readings.  The council decided it was important to look at how much of the scripture we read at mass.  They radically expanded the amount of the bible covered at mass.  Rather than a single year of readings, they decided on a 3 year cycle of Sunday readings.  Yet, with all of those changes.  The readings we use for Lent were so ancient, and put together so specifically, that they made up an exception.  We use these readings every time we are in year A, and we use them every year at masses for catechumens, those preparing to enter the Church.  That's significant, and so we should pay close attention to how these readings really fit together. This Sunday, as we b...

We live in a world that demands perfection.  We must be absolutely perfect.  If we show even a moment of weakness, we're looked down upon.  If we have any doubt of that, all we need to do is to look at our world of politics.  If someone makes a statement that doesn't get the response they were looking for, immediately you begin to hear, "but that wasn't what I really meant."  Then they begin to change what they really said and try to make it what they should have said.  Or sometimes the opposite happens, how often do we hear that a politician has changed his position, has flip-flopped, and we look at it as something awful.  At the same time though,  Honestly, what would we think of a person who looked at all the evidence, and seeing that he was wrong, decided that he was going to be stubborn and still wouldn't change?  When we put it that way, we'd certainly call him an idiot.  Either way, we can reject the one that listens an...

One of the peculiar things that has come to be a particular issue in our age is stress.  Stress is everywhere.  We have so many things we have to do, so much to accomplish, so many choices and decisions, and while sometimes we've been there before or can ask for advice, ultimately the decision is ours.  We live in a world where one wrong move could make us lose our Job, launch us into poverty, or alienate us from our world.  In many ways, We do not live in a world that believes in second chances or forgiveness, but one where in many careers, if we slip, there might be a dozen people, just waiting to take our place. Of course, every age in history, and every part of the world has its problems.  If we fall into hard times, it is unlikely that we will be completely abandoned.  We have a government that offers social programs, a Church that will help us in need, and all sorts of resources.  Even if we make bad choices, most of us will never star...

There's a great irony, I think, that on one hand, If I ever want a crowd of people to show up for an evening talk, I've learned that all I need to do is say we're going to have a talk on the Devil, demons, exorcisms, and the occult.  While those are important topics, I'm always amazed at the volume of people who are very interested in those things and will show up at the drop of a hat to learn about them.  Yet, I think the truly ironic part…is that for all of those same people, when we stop to talk about sin, hell, repentance, and changing their life….suddenly they're not quite as interested. At the same time, As I listen to the news, as I read articles posted online, as I look at what the world around us seems to be saying, I'm beginning to wonder if one of the realities we're missing in our conversation as a culture, is a word that we sometimes don't like to talk about, a word that's been often abused in the past, and so we try to get ri...

Last Sunday, we celebrated the feast of Candlemas, the presentation of the Lord in the temple,   when Simeon tells Mary and Joseph that their son will be a light to the nations.  So in honor of Simeon, we always hold the blessing of candles on the feast of the presentation. I know we've all had candles at home at some point.  Perhaps it's the citronella candle we light in the summer to keep the bugs away, or maybe some of us still have those candles on the dinner table, or maybe when the power goes out, we have candles in the back somewhere to give us a little bit of light at home.  Now when we do light a candle during the day, sometimes, if we take it out in the bright sunlight, we can hardly even tell if it's lit.  The flame almost seems to disappear in the light.  Yet, it's amazing how at night, once it gets completely dark, just how that one tiny little solitary flame, that seemed light nothing in the bright daylight, can light up an ent...

I think every one of us had had the experience of digging through the closet doing some spring cleaning and coming across some old embarrassing baby pictures.  A few days ago I saw some High School Seniors who had taken their pictures at their winter formal this year, and then put them next to photos from their 8th grade formal to show how much they had grown.  Then, on Thursday at the St. Joe's Basketball game, a group of the moms had apparently stumbled onto embarrassing photos of their kids when they were little.  When I saw all the different pictures of these now there were certainly some kids you could pick out right away.  Then, there were other kids who had changed so much, if I wasn't told who they were, I really wouldn't be sure. It's a real reality that people can and do change.  We grow up, we become different.  When we meet a family we haven't seen in a long time, don't we look at the kids and say, my, look how you've grown.  When w...

I think all of us, at one point or another have managed to do a project backwards.  I think all of us, at one point or another have gotten one of those presents for Christmas, or have kids who have gotten a certain kind of present.  These presents come with the three words that strike fear in the hearts and minds of parents everywhere.  "Some assembly required"  Invariably, we get all the pieces, and line them up on the floor, and start following the directions.  Then, about half-way through, someone says oh yeah…that makes sense…and starts working away.  A few minutes after that, someone else says….but wasn't this supposed to go on first?  My favorite experience of that was one time at my parents house when we were fixing things up and I heard…umm, isn't the insulation supposed to go inside BEFORE we nail down the drywall… Then invariably you end up tearing the whole thing apart and putting it back together again.   I think we've all ha...

When we really look at the Christmas season, it really is an incredible story.  Angels appearing and guiding people, a miraculous virgin birth, incredible dreams that warned people of upcoming events, and then the three kings.  There are some parts of the story that are simply so incredible, that they simply have to be true.  If they weren't, no one would have ever believed the story in the first place.  One of those, is the feast we celebrate today, the visit by the Magi. As the traditional story goes, the Magi saw a star rise in the east, that led them west to visit Jesus.  So basically, three kings saw a strange star in the sky, and went on a journey together to find out what was at the other side.  When we hear that version, it seems a little hokey at best, yet, if we look a little closer into the story, and if you'll forgive me for going into some of the technicalities, I'd like to share one explanation I found recently, because I really bel...

There are some human experiences that are common to all of us. Every one of us, each and every single one of us has a mother and a father. For many of us, we probably visited them over Christmas. For some of us, they’re still in good health. For others of us, we may not have been able to see them. Perhaps they were ill, and simply couldn’t handle all the commotion of Christmas. Perhaps we’ve become estranged from our parents, perhaps we never talk to them. Perhaps we lost our mother years ago. And even for a few of us, we may not even be absolutely sure just who our mother really is. Yet, at the most basic level, each and every one of us have a mother. It’s a part of being human that we must come from a mother and a father. We are conceived, we grow within our mothers womb, and we are born. That’s how it’s worked since the beginning of time. Then, as any mother can tell, there is a special connection that forms. A special unbreakable bond between a mother and child, perhaps the ...