Homily: 6th Sunday OT(B)

He was called John Merrick, and he lived just 27 years, from 1862 to 1890.  Beginning at the age of 5, he was afflicted a condition that resulted in some of the ugliest disfiguring physical deformities in recorded human history.  The disease also slurred his speech and made him virtually impossible to understand.  Rejected by his father and stepmother, he left school and home at the age of 12.  Unable to find employment, he spent four years in a workhouse.  Finally, in his early 20s, he concluded that his only option for supporting himself was to offer himself for...

From the Pastor: 2.19.12

Yow.  Hard as it may seem to believe, by the time you read this, Lent will be only a few days away.  In light of that, it seemed appropriate for me to “prime the pump” here by directing your thoughts toward the uncomfortable topic of sin. Can we start by agreeing that whatever we may choose to call it, sin definitely exists?  If we look at and listen to the world around us, we have to admit that – as a quirky Jesuit confrere of mine likes to say – “It’s not all catfish and honeysuckle.”  People suffer unjustly all the time – and sometimes, their...

Homily: 5th Sunday OT(B)

6:45 a.m.  Alarm goes off, I hit “snooze.” 6:52 a.m.  Alarm goes off again.  I hit “snooze” again. 6:59 a.m.  Alarm goes off third time.  I manage to sit up and turn it off. 7 a.m.  Shower, shave, get dressed. 7:10 a.m.  First cup of coffee.  Prayer. 7:40 a.m.  Breakfast.  2nd cup of coffee. 8:00 a.m.  Page through Inquirer and New York Times.  Read an article or two. 8:20 a.m.  First compulsive check of e-mail for the day.  14 in my Inbox since last night.  Briefly             answer two, delete five, ignore remaining seven. 8:30 a.m. ...

From the Pastor: 2.12.12

I write to you today to appeal to your Catholic charity.  This weekend marks the launch of the 2012 Catholic Charities Appeal; and the “theme” of this year’s appeal is “Because I Am a Catholic.”  Our new Archbishop has pleaded with us to remember that best reason for participating in this appeal is just that – namely, because we are Catholic. It is in keeping with our Catholic faith and identity to share in the work of Christ by joining together as disciples to help our poorer brothers and sisters as Jesus did.  The painful truth is that the poor can’t...