BEYOND POLITICS & RELIGION

We often hear the old saying "never discuss politics or religion in public." Growing up, this seemed like common courtesy, a way to keep the peace at family gatherings and social events. But today, these…

DEFENDING LIFE WITH LOVE

Today holds special significance. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has designated January 22nd as the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, marking the anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade…

JESUS AS WEDDING CRASHER?

Seven seconds. That's all it takes to form a first impression. I watched this truth play out in real time during a college orientation. Picture this: hundreds of freshmen, slouched in their seats after an…

OUR HIGHEST OFFICE: CHILDREN OF GOD

This past Thursday, thousands of individuals gathered at the National Cathedral to bid farewell to former President Jimmy Carter. Amid the expected media coverage which analyzed every detail – from seating arrangements to the controversial…

SHOCK AND AWE

Words can often dance with different meanings depending on how we say them. Take the phrase "Wait till your father gets home." Growing up, those words from Mom could foretell either impending doom or upcoming…

2025: DO NOT BE AFRAID

There's a ritual my friend's grandparents practiced every New Year's Eve. At midnight, they'd open the front door in their house to "let the old year out." When he told me this, I laughed and…

WHEN GOD GOES MISSING

The other day, I joked in my Christmas homily about adding Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" to my personal banned list. This sparked an amusing conversation with friends about our least…

ALL HE WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS – IS US

Merry Christmas!  There's something particularly special about saying those words here, in this sacred space, on this holy day.  While the world outside swirls with tinsel and commerce, here we encounter something authentic — a…