Words matter.  The Incarnate Word, Jesus speaks unceasingly to us of God’s love.  We make vows; public officials begin their service with an oath to their office, convinced that people are as good as their word.  For almost two weeks, our nation has been immersed in a consideration of words and their consequences.  On January 13th, the House of Representatives discussed President Trump’s January 6th speech and the role it might [...]

Words matter.  The Incarnate Word, Jesus speaks unceasingly to us of God’s love.  We make vows; public officials begin their service with an oath to their office, convinced that people are as good as their word.  For almost two weeks, our nation has been immersed in a consideration of words and their consequences.  On January 13th, the House of Representatives discussed President Trump’s January 6th speech and the role it might [...]

How well we know the Epiphany story:  A distant star, eager pilgrims, a leader determined to preserve his power, and a newborn child--God’s tiny, infinite and intimate gift.   And there were presents: gold for kingship, frankincense for divinity, and myrrh, an aromatic used to prepare the dead.  Finally, there was the dream warning the magi to travel home by a different route and not reveal the child’s whereabouts to Herod. Epiphany [...]

What would it be like to see Christ the King through Mary’s eyes? I imagine she sees her beloved Son as one who asks only that we accept and share God’s mercy. This is Christ’s gift to us and the gift he asks of us. In this time of protests, civic divisions, pandemic spread with its long illness, isolation, and death, Mary must remember how her son, our Lord, once experienced [...]

How well our blessed mother understands the pain of parents mourning the death of their child! On Monday October 27th, we witnessed yet another black family who mourned the death of their son at the hands of Philadelphia police. Walter Wallace's mother had called for an ambulance to assist her emotionally disturbed son; however, the police arrived first and shot Wallace fourteen times after he failed to drop what police believed [...]

In her Magnificat, Mary rejoices in God's mercy that reaches "from generation to generation." Pandemic related isolation has caused us to miss that wide human contact with family and friends. Scientific explanations and social and technological support help, but we remain lonely and stressed. If as adults we find the long and ongoing but temporary separation difficult, consider the devastating impact of policies that cause family separation. We learned last week [...]

Last week's feast of the Queenship of Mary reminded us of our mission to follow Christ in working for justice and peace.  Plans to allow oil and gas leasing programs to operate in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, home to wolves, caribou, and other wildlife.  The drilling also threatens the culture and livelihood of the indigenous Gwich’in tribe, who consider the land sacred and subsist on hunting the caribou. In 2006 [...]

The Feast of the Assumption of Mary holds both joy and promise for us. We rejoice in the honor given Mary and we see in her the promise of our own future. Because of the ongoing pandemic, much of our immediate future can seem beyond our control, but our individual actions matter.   In this, too, we have the example of the Blessed Mother. Saying yes to becoming the mother of Jesus also [...]

The Corona virus has left no segment of our society untouched, but the immigrant community has faced particular challenges, some of which were caused by government regulations. Prospective immigrants have long been required to prove, generally through sponsorship by employers or relatives, that they would not become “public charges.” However, as noted in previous blogs, recent regulations of the Trump administration discouraged those residents seeking green cards or naturalization from requesting [...]

Tired of long shutdowns, we no longer use the word novel to describe COVID-19, but as cases surge throughout much of the nation we are still discovering new information about the virus. In a divisive political climate, evolving advice can be interpreted and discredited as evidence of fake news. Widespread protests demanding reform in our justice and socioeconomic systems call us to reconsider what has been the status quo. In the [...]

The icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help shows Mary looking at us as she holds and comforts the infant Christ, who has been frightened by the sight of the instruments of the Passion which angels hold. The much-revered icon reminds us of Mary's ongoing maternal care for us and our ongoing need to be like Mary, accepting and responding to God’s love. Monuments and other works of public art have [...]

It's all about relationships, this Christian life of ours. At baptism we were welcomed into intimate relationship with the Trinity-- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. From the cross, Jesus gave us his mother. How, then, can we be so divided that one police officer could keep his knee on George Floyd’s neck while three other officers watched Floyd die? How many times can we watch a person of [...]

As parts of the United States are beginning to ease the long isolation of the pandemic, there is much discussion of lessons learned. Meant to encourage sheltering in place and social distancing, the slogan “Alone Together” can also be said of the world, each country struggling with life and death. We have witnessed the enormous consequences of nations’ failure to collaborate and share information and resources. Will the new normal favor [...]

As May flowers remind us of Mary’s title as the new Eve, Mother of the Living. we mark the fifth anniversary of Laudato Si Pope Francis’ encyclical on care of the earth. Challenging us to consider what sort of world we wanted to leave our children, Pope Francis called for reflection and action to preserve “our common home,” arguing that the “cry of the poor and the cry of the earth [...]

As COVID-19 spread rapidly and was declared a pandemic, the world united in tracking both the disease’s course and international, national, and regional efforts to control the spread and mitigate its effects. The number of fatalities was and continues to be overwhelming. The individual stories of people dying, the numbers of people dying after caring for the ill or serving as “necessary personnel” reminded us of both human fragility and dedication. [...]

Easter calls us to celebrate the risen Christ; a week later, Divine Mercy Sunday calls us to accept the gift and challenge Christ’s resurrection brings to us. Thomas is with the other apostles, all still frightened, all still sheltering in place. Once again Jesus greets his friends, “Peace. Do not be afraid.” He then addresses Thomas, inviting him to touch his wounds and believe. Thomas, of course, responds not to Christ’s [...]

How do we celebrate Easter and sing our alleluias while sheltering in place? As death and illness surround us, how do we celebrate resurrection and new life? We have missed the terrible beauty: the love and pain, the poignancy and reassurances of Holy Week services. How different this Lent, this Holy Week! And yet, this years’ experience may not be so different from that of the first disciples. We read in [...]

We are told several times in Luke’s Gospel that Mary “pondered in her heart” God’s mysterious ways. These days we too have much to ponder as COVID-19 has changes our lives and the lives of so many around the world. Of course, the Lenten challenge is to allow God to change our hearts. On Sunday, President Trump announced that undocumented immigrants could get tested for coronavirus without fear of arrest or [...]

This Wednesday we will mark the feast of the Annunciation. Scheduled nine months before Christmas, this memory of God’s promise of the Incarnation and Mary’s assent provides sharp contrast to our Lenten anticipation of the passion and death of Christ. And yet, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, this feast reminds us that Christ remains our intimate companion and hope in our sorrows and our joys. How hard it [...]

As we move through Lent, we are reminded that the fragility and vulnerability of Jesus demonstrates his power. Christ's openness and uncompromising self-sacrifice models for us as individuals and as nations a way to dialogue into peace and reconciliation.On February 29, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar signed a peace deal designed to end the United States^ war with Afghanistan, our nation's [...]

On the first Sunday of Lent we celebrate the Rite of Election in which we express our affirmation of and prayerful support for those who have been preparing to enter the Catholic Church. Dating back to at least the fifth century, this election seems far removed from our divisive national electoral process, but as Christians we must live the connections. . During their baptism at the Easter vigil, our elect will [...]

The title of Christ, Word of God made flesh, reminds us that by God's loving word we were created and then in Christ we each became a new creation. Our words are also significant, shaping attitudes and actions, so we might reflect on our private and public discourse, holding our leaders and ourselves accountable for speaking truth with life-serving reverence and respect. Recent disagreements over policy and military, social and political [...]

Last week in anticipation of the feast of the Epiphany, we added the three magi to our nativity sets. However, Thursday's news aired no message of peace and joy; instead, we learned a targeted airstrike in Baghdad had killed General Qasem Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s military who, according to intelligence reports had been actively planning attacks against US troops, personnel and interests. As of this writing, Iran has promised retaliation; [...]

In these days just after the new year, we are aware of the power and fragility of human will. We make our resolutions, determined with God's grace to be better and to do better, For many people living within our borders who lack permanent legal status or a path to citizenship , planning seems an impossible dream. Those brought to this country as children and those people who had been given [...]

As political divisions seem to deepen and the news reports national and international outbreaks of violence and unrest, we pray the O Antiphons during the liturgy. Prayed on the 17th, the first antiphon celebrates Christ as Wisdom and challenges us to exercise wisdom by living in right relationship with our families and friends, with the various larger communities to which we belong and with a world that is suffering from the [...]

Last Saturday marked the thirtieth anniversary of the dismantling of the Berlin Wall that had separated communist rules East Germany from West Germany. The crowd remembered the joy of freedom and the suffering and death of the many victims who had suffered violence over the decades when the Soviet-backed Stasi controlled East Germany. During the commemoration German Chancellor Angela Merkel who had grown up in East Germany stated: “The Berlin Wall [...]

Last week following the withdrawal of United States troops from northern Syria, images of war and those fleeing from war flashed before us on small and large screens, calling us to stand in solidarity with those who mourn and suffer. While no one would argue against President Trump's stated goal of not engaging in "endless wars," many expressed concern at the suddenness of the withdrawal of support for the Kurds who [...]

This month calls us to remember the communion we share with all the living and the deceased to mourn the dead and reflect on the meaning of life. Last Sunday two events converged, reminding us of the fragility of life, the threat of terrorism and the need to be peacemakers. The first anniversary of the mass shooting at the congregation of Pittsburgh's Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue called the congregation and [...]

Mary is a model of strength and humility. While the mission and grace given Our Lady are extraordinary, we all have a mission to carry out in response to the life and gifts given us by God. Following his death last week, Representative Elijah Cummings was remembered the son of a sharecropper who made a difference in the world, whether it was his early work in the Civil Rights Movement, his [...]

Model disciple and Mother of God, Mary is, indeed, "blessed among women” and a blessing for women. Unfortunately, women are often targets of social and domestic violence. September 13th marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act, which has been credited for reducing domestic violence through a series of measures ranging from education to prevent abuse to shelters and legal interventions for domestic abuse and other forms of abuse.. [...]

Summer's end signals the beginning of a new school year and the harvest of autumnal crops.  Unfortunately, for some children, farm work proves a considerable and often insurmountable obstacle to achieving academic and career goals.  Labor laws allow children as young as 12 to work on farms with their parents or with parental permission outside of school hours.   Prolonged exposure to sun, heat and pesticides and hard manual labor [...]

Last week we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the moon landing which gave us new insights into the solar system and a new perspective on our fragile earth. The fragility of our nation and challenge of our times became apparent when in a July 14th tweet, President Trump suggested that four freshman Congresswomen with whom he has political disagreements should go back to where they came from. Leveled against [...]

Last week's feast of Pentecost reminds us of the history of our church and of our current obligations to care for those in need.  A walk through most neighborhoods or a glimpse of the evening news will reveal many needy people, but perhaps among the most compelling stories have been those of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum at our borders. In an effort to control costs, the Trump administration has ordered [...]

Last Friday on the Feast of the Visitation, we remembered how after the annunciation Mary hastened to help her older cousin Elizabeth through her pregnancy. In contrast to Mary's outreach, Friday's news announced President Trump's intention to put new tariffs on Mexico unless Mexico stems immigrant migration. Likely to face legal challenges and delays, the threatened tariffs would have a number of direct and indirect consequences. The continued emphasis on excluding [...]

Established by the UN General Assembly in 1993, the May 3rd observance of World Press Freedom Day reminded us of threats to reporters, including the targeted killing of five Capital Gazette employees in Annapolis, Maryland, last June and the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia this past October. According to recent news reports, the Department of Homeland Security has created dossiers on journalists, activists and attorneys who [...]

Last week as we celebrated Easter's promise of new life, we heard news of death in Sri Lanka, where four hotels and three Catholic churches were bombed. Early reports counted over 200 fatalities and over 500 wounded. Sorely in need of God’s healing mercy, we will conclude the octave of Easter with the Feast of Divine Mercy. The gospel account of Jesus appearing to Thomas, inviting him to touch his wounds [...]

Last week civil and ecclesiastical authorities of South Sudan participated in a 2-day religious and ecumenical retreat at the Vatican in an effort to end the country's civil war.  Organized by the Vatican Secretariat of State and the Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the retreat ended with Pope Francis speaking and then kneeling to kiss the shoes of each participant. The gesture reminds us that Jesus’ example of [...]

On Monday we celebrated the Feast of the Annunciation. As we continue our Lenten practices and end Women's History Month, the feast’s Gospel reminds us how Mary's humble and unwavering Yes to God's will facilitated the Incarnation and so changed history. Mary must have wondered how God's will would play out in her life, but she recognized and trusted God's power, telling her cousin Elizabeth, “The Mighty One has done great [...]

As we once again enter into the holy season of Lent, we will be signed with ashes and reminded to repent and believe in the good news of the Gospel. Last week in Rome, Pope Francis and church leaders ended the summit on sex abuse with a penitential Mass, acknowledging the evil of abuse, the too frequent cover-ups, failure to act on allegations of abuse and failure to believe and assist [...]

As of this posting, the State of the Union address has yet to be delivered; however, there is much to be addressed concerning the union's state. Political speech has been reduced to soundbites and tweets and the rhetorical distinctions between news reports and commentaries are vanishing. Even before last Thursday 's vote on the two bills drafted to temporarily finance the government, newscasters announced the anticipated failure of both. When on [...]

This week has called us to hope and action. On Monday we were reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream of unity. And today we end the octave of prayer for Christian unity, joining our prayer to Christ's, “That all may be one.” Both Dr. King and Jesus spoke their hopes while expecting to meet violent death before their dreams could be fulfilled. Last week Jason Spindler was among the [...]

Last Sunday we celebrated the baptism of Jesus. Immediately after Jesus's baptism, the Spirit led Jesus into the desert where after forty days Satan tempted him. At our baptism, we were called to share in Christ’s mission as priest, prophet and king. Given the lengthy government shutdown and divisive political discourse, we may be tempted to let our sense of powerlessness lead us into self-centeredness and isolationism, but as Christians we [...]

Many readings of the Christmas season feature dreams. In dreams, Joseph was advised to take Mary as his wife, the Magi were warned not to return to Herod and, finally, Joseph was instructed to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt. When Jesus began his preaching, He shared God's dream for us, a dream of justice and peace, a dream that the Father's will would be done on earth as it is [...]

What a contrast of images and experiences this Christmas season has delivered to us! Nativity scenes have moved us through time and space to Bethlehem and memories and movies have moved us back to childhood moments of opening presents and to more grown-up memories of opening our very selves to new graces and experiences through New Year's resolutions. In sharp contrast, the news reports that two Guatemalan migrant children died while [...]

Last week world leaders and local communities commemorated the end of World War I at 11 AM on November 11th, 1918. In US ceremonies, we celebrated Veterans’ Day, honoring all who have served in the military; heroic and tragic stories reminded us that peace has not yet triumphed over conflict. Though not an armed conflict, the November 6th mid-term elections revealed sharp divisions within our nation. Election coverage focused on “political [...]

Last week's news was filled with violence and threats of violence. On Wednesday, a white man shot and killed two African Americans, one in a Louisville, Kentucky, grocery store, the other in the parking lot . Addressing a white bystander, the gunman noted that he would not shoot or be shot by the man because “White people don’t shoot white people.” Throughout the week, pipe bombs were delivered to a number [...]

                          Last week U.S. District Court Judge Edward M. Chen of the Northern District of California issued a preliminary injunction delaying the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for a number of groups. As stated in the October 4th on-line posting by the Center for Public Integrity, “Chen’s order affects the following groups: About 1,050 Sudanese, who were scheduled to [...]

This past week we were shaken by yet another report of sexual abuse within the church, this time coming from the Attorney General of Pennsylvania. Detailing decades of abuse and cover-ups in six Pennsylvania dioceses, the report is shocking in reporting the details of abuse, the large number of victims, the number of perpetrators and the failure of many bishops to disclose the allegations to civil authorities and to take appropriate [...]

As announced last week, the revised text of the Catholic catechism states: “The death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and the dignity of the person.” As noted in the October 11th, 2017, online America posting, Pope Francis called for the revisions because the death penalty’,”... is, of itself, contrary to the Gospel, because it is freely decided to suppress a human life that is always [...]

For several weeks the world watched the rescue of twelve members of a soccer team and their coach who had been trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand. None of the possible rescue scenarios was without danger, as the death of Thailand's former Navy Seal .Saman Kunan demonstrated when after delivering oxygen tanks to the cave, his own oxygen supply ran out. By the time this blog is posted, it is [...]

      Justice Anthony Kennedy’s decision to retire from the Supreme Court has caused great speculation and concern about future nominees and has aroused many memories of Kennedy’s position on the court as a Republican appointed by a Republican president who often was the swing vote, siding sometimes with the liberal judges, sometimes with the conservatives. In speeches and in writing formal opinions, Kennedy often expressed the need to begin [...]

July 4th called us to remember once again the ideals affirmed in our country's founding documents. On Thursday, June 29th, five staff members of the Capital Gazette, a local newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, were murdered, apparently targeted by a gunman who in 2012 had made an unsuccessful attempt to sue the newspaper group for defamation. In a time when journalists are increasingly under verbal and sometimes physical attack, the tributes to [...]

Last week while our attention focused on the heart-wrenching stories and images of crying children, the United States withdrew from the United Nations Human Rights Council. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Nikki Haley explained that human rights violations in countries that hold membership in the council led to the decision. Throughout the years, reports by the media and by independent human rights organizations have confirmed Haley's allegations. Haley also noted [...]

Last week’s news told of the deaths of Guatemalan townspeople, victims of a volcanic eruption. Later in the week we learned of the deaths of two celebrities, fashion designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, both of whom died by suicide. Such news can leave us feeling overwhelmed and isolated, but Jesus has promised us that we are never alone. The familiar icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help offers [...]

Peace! How often Christ used that single word as gift and greeting to his followers and yet peace seems to elude us. Last week we witnessed yet another school shooting, and the highly anticipated June 12th summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was canceled, although, as of this writing, there is renewed hope that the meeting will take place. When hope of peace wavers, we can [...]

  Ark of the New Covenant-- this title of Mary reminds us that she harbored and enfleshed Jesus, God's Promised One. How different Mary's life must have been after the Annunciation! How different our lives are because,in his great love, God sent his Son to be with us so that we might be one with each other and with God. Recently Kim Jong Un, leader of North Korea, met with President [...]

    Of the many titles of Mary, mother is the most beloved and the most privileged. It is in the mother's womb that God begins to work out the divine design for each of us. As the psalmist prays, “You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know.” (PS. 139: [...]

        Mary's title as Morning Star comes in part from the Song of Songs in which the speaker marvels, “Who is this that comes forth like the dawn,... .(6:10). In the darkest night, Mary joins her prayer to ours, reminding us that her Son has promised to share our burdens. We recently watched in horror as video clips showed infants shaking uncontrollably, men and women lying in the [...]

    Shaped by the word of God that became incarnate within her, Mary came to know in the most personal way the power, compassion and suffering of Our Lord. This is also our call, for Christ shows to us, as He did to Thomas, the still visible marks of his wounds. In our suffering world, reconciliation and healing can happen when former opponents come together to acknowledge the harm that [...]

    After that heart-wrenching moment on Calvary when Jesus commended Mary to John's care and named Mary to be mother to John and to all the church, the Gospel makes no mention of Our Lady. Surely her mother's heart was pierced by sorrow as Simeon had prophesied when she brought her infant son to the temple. In those first confusing hours after the death of Jesus, we can imagine that [...]

    Good Friday As we approach Holy Week, scripture invites us to stand with Mary at the foot of the cross. How impossibly long that Calvary morning must have seemed to Mary, Mother of Sorrows and model of strength! Two thousand years later, the world still cries out in lamentation. Erected as a safety measure in Miami, Florida, a still unopened pedestrian bridge, collapsed onto a highway, killing some and [...]

How hard those last months of Jesus’  life must have been for Mary, knowing that as her son's popularity increased so did the jealousy of people in authority.  With his dying breath,  Jesus commended Mary to John’s care and named her mother of us all.   Mary’s children -- our brothers and sisters -- continue to suffer.  On February 23rd, Russia’s objections delayed voting on a long-argued United Nations proposal that would have [...]

    The Presentation of Christ When Mary and Joseph, presented Jesus at the temple as prescribed by the law, Simeon gave thanks to God for Jesus, “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel” and then predicted Mary’s sorrows. Some of the sorrows came early: the flight to Egypt to escape Herod’s lethal jealousy and then the anxious search Mary and Joseph made when at [...]

    The Arrival of The Magi: Mary must have been both pleased and startled at the arrival of the magi. Strangers from a distant land, these astrologers had read in the stars God's good news that a king had been born, and they did not hesitate to undertake the long arduous journey to give homage to this new leader. The contrasts between Mary and her wealthy, learned visitors could not [...]

    Hail Mary: We always have people in our lives who we need to pray for. No doubt you have a list the same as I do. Sometimes it helps me if I think of three specific intentions which become a ritual for me. That way it becomes a discipline. Here is a tradition that I remember from my days as a pastor: We asked everyone to wait until the [...]

    Mary Mother of God: For many non-Catholics the title that we use for Mary “Mother of God” seems impossible. We do not believe that Mary is divine. She is a human being like you and I who needs the grace from God to do everything. The church from its early beginnings has used this title for Mary and reserved for her this special honor. Since Jesus, the Son of [...]

    Our Lady of The Rosary: I am not sure if I am alone in this dilemma but when I try to say the Rosary at night I most often fall asleep. Now when I say the rosary I approach it differently. Now I use each “Hail Mary” for someone in my family or a friar that I lived within the past or perhaps a list of students who were [...]