Easter 2010

Christ is risen. Alleluia, Alleluia. His first gift to the world was his church. We must endeavor to safeguard that gift.

We wait for Easter light

We wait in silence for the first fragile lights of Easter. Chirst suffered and died for us. By the glorious resurrection, he has been given victory over death.

A brief thought for Good Friday

"Now, the night was very cold......." --from St. John's Passion narrative; a small nugget of observation that is also theologically telling.

The darkness of inhumanity is very cold: cold hearted, cold blooded, coldly caculating.

On this day, we remember that our Lord and Savior was left alone in the cold, left to the devices of evil men.

May his sufferings bring us to the fire of redemption.

Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion 2010

This year, we read Luke's passion narrative. The good thief is Luke's gift to us: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom". The Lord's ministry of reconciliation continued even unto the last moments of his earthly life.

Sunday, March 7th 2010

In the spirit of penance, we banish flowers from our altars during Lent. Still, I've noticed that no one can keep flowers from appearing at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in my church. Even during Lent, the faithful bring our Lady flowers. Somewhere in the human heart, there is an uncontainable need to offer beauty back to the universe.

Thought For This Lenten Day

We think of forgiveness as something we do for someone else, someone who has hurt us. In truth, forgiveness is something we do for our own well being. If I can forgive, I release myself from the chains of anger.

MAN CRASHES PLAN INTO IRS, BLAMES CHURCH?

After reading the six page letter left by the Austin man who crashed his light plane into the IRS office building, I am amazed at the tenacity of anti-Catholic bigotry.

Somehow, a man who tries to burn hundreds of people to death believed that the Catholic Church leaders are the "corrupt monsters" in this story. Odd.

How exactly is the tax exempt status enjoyed by the Church the culprit behind this man's life failures?

Tax exemption is granted to all non-profit organizations. The argument has always been that such organizations serve the public good and contribute to the civic life. Why single out the Catholic Church when spewing venom against this long established exemption?

Also, the Catholic Church is not wealthy, unless measured in real estate. Much of our land and buildings lie in inner cities or rundown neighborhoods or are unsuitable for any use but religious. Our "wealth" is, thus, vastly overestimated. Most of our parishes get by on very tight budgets. Without the exemption, it would be hard to survive.

ICE STORM

Due to an ice storm, I was without power for several days. I was struck by the intensity of the gloominess of a dark house, lit only by candles and battery powered lanterns. There were shallow pools of light throughout the house but, in an odd way, the light seemed to underscore the strength of the dark.

I was reminded of one of my favorite lines from Hamlet, when the King cries out "Give me light!" And lots of it, please.

Thought For The Day

We are all being drawn to some wondrous light.

Game Change

I've read the book Game Change, the behind the scenes look at the 2008 Presidential campaign. It's a disheartening read. Our political class comes off as souless, empty, grasping.

I don't deny the need for a public persona. However, if the gap between the persona and the private person becomes too wide, it's not only the person who becomes inauthentic. The entire political process is compromised.