Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, My parents recently completed some interior renovation work on their home. The house I grew up in looks very different as a result. As the renovation began, walls came down, floors were torn up, ceilings replaced. For a few months, my folks had no kitchen and could barely use the first floor. Along the way, they discovered places where insulation should have been, but had been missing for decades (explaining why one particular room always felt colder than others), a car exhaust pipe that had been rigged by a plumber to serve as a…read more

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Jesus is an extremist. Unfortunately, our modern civilized ears hear a statement like that and immediately become offended, though we can’t quite name the reason for offense. Extremism conjures images of violence inspired by hatred. But in the person of Jesus Christ, we find an extremist of an entirely different kind. Jesus not only exhorts His followers to an extreme life of holiness, piety, virtue, mercy and justice, but also demonstrates by His own Passion on the Cross the full meaning of the extremism of His teachings. There are no half measures with Jesus…read more

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I am away this weekend on a fact-finding mission to examine the palms we will use for Passion Sunday at the end of Lent. It is hard work, but someone has to do it. In my absence, I know that you are well cared for by Fr. Tim and our parish staff! Though we still have a few weeks, I would like to plant a seed in your minds and hearts regarding the great and holy season of Lent. During these forty days, the Church invites us to a time of prayer, fasting, and…read more

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Perfection is not a prerequisite. “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man,” says the first pope, St. Peter, in today’s Gospel. The prophet Isaiah proclaims himself a “man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips,” while St. Paul describes his being called “last of all” to serve and preach the Gospel. At no time does the Lord require our perfection as prerequisite for calling us to serve. This radical method is entirely contrary to our first instinct, to successful business best practices, to almost everything we would anticipate.…read more

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, The readings from Scripture this weekend present some powerful ideas. The prophet Jeremiah is called from the womb to be a witness to the nations and to preach without fear, even when powers stand against him. St. Paul speaks of the fundamental need for the virtue of charity in all things – we can have any number of gifts or talents, but without love, we are nothing. Jesus passes through the midst of the mob and goes away when they want to kill him for speaking truthfully about their history. We live in an…read more