It should be quite obvious to anyone who regularly follows the national news that this is a presidential election year. While we believe in the separation of church and state, this does not mean we ignore our faith in issues before the government. We must hold to the principles of right and wrong that we …
In Western New York where I live we have been having one of the mildest winters ever. The temperatures have been warmer than normal and the snowfall is much less than normal. Many people have been talking how wonderful it is. It is much more pleasant than many winters but, looking at the bigger picture, …
Each year our Diocesan Public Policy Committee selects three issues to promote awareness of. This year’s issues are Sex Trafficking – Even in our own country, people are exploited and treated as objects of pleasure. Our faith is clear that people are not objects and must always be treated with dignity and love. The exploitation …
Today (January 1st) we honor Mary and we pray for peace. Here is the homily I preached on this occasion. Mary, Mother of God Numbers 6:22-37 Galatians 4:4-7 Luke 2:16-21 January 1, 2012 We could ask ourselves why are we here? The obvious answer is that it is Sunday and we come to church every …
October is Respect Life Month for the Catholic Church in America. Life is an awesome gift from God. Pope John Paul II wrote the Gospel of Life recognizing the gift. Life is indeed a gift. Life is more than just existence. We are not just machines. Life is more than the biological existence we know …
I was just praying over the readings for Monday, October 3, 2011 (Monday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time). The gospel is the familiar story of the Good Samaritan. A man had been robbed and beaten and left along the road. First, a priest passes him by without helping and then a Levite does …
People are living longer. At the same time, many people face great suffering from illness (physical and mental) and aging. Seeing other people dying or facing death themselves has led many people to argue for the right to die at the time of their choosing. Often death is caused by the use of lethal drugs …
I recently finished reading Render Unto Caesar by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput (Doubleday: New York, 2008.) The subtitle “Serving the Nation by Living Our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life” really speaks to his point, ‘we must stand up for what we believe in.’ Render unto Caesar is, of course, a biblical reference to Matthew 22:16-22 where …
Today I would like to talk about a topic that I generally avoid – politics, specifically the situation in Egypt. With the resignation of President Mubarak certainly Egypt has changed in a profound way. Perhaps the most amazing thing to me is that it was accomplished through peaceful protest. We must acknowledge that there are …
“Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be satisfied.” These are words spoken by Jesus as he began his Sermon on the Mount. They are words we heard this Sunday in church. Righteousness is to do God’s will, to do what is right and to stand up for what is …
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