Hero to Zero – That’s probably how Simon Peter had to feel. And I mean almost literally in the span of a few minutes. The Church divides this Gospel from the passage we heard last…
DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE?
A few years back, a story out of Russia made international headlines. It’s the kind of story that sticks with you—not just because it’s bizarre, but because it’s heartbreaking. A woman named Fagilyu Mukhametzyanov, age…
MADE NOT FOR COMFORT, BUT COMMUNION
One of the most memorable experiences of my time as chaplain to college students happened about seven years ago — in one of the most rugged, forgotten corners of Appalachia, Kentucky. Ten students from Montclair…
YOU’VE GOT THE POWER – TAP IN
There’s a moment in life that sneaks up on you. I don’t know exactly when it happened to me, but I know it did. Somehwere around turning fifty -give or take it hit me: I…
DOUBT ISN’T THE ENEMY- DESPAIR IS
A few years ago, a rescue diver from the United States Navy made a sobering observation after years of pulling people from the water. He said the most dangerous part, isn’t the instant someone first…
DO YOU REALLY WANT TO BE HEALED?
If you spend enough time around college students, you end up learning things you never saw coming. I’m 52 years old and after nearly 27 years as a priest, I somehow now know that if…
BUILDING THE TEMPLE
It’s been a difficult few months to be sure. Our newsfeeds are flooded with stories of war from the Holy Land, rising tensions with Iran, and violence in Lebanon. Religious bigotry and attacks on Catholics-…
IF NOT HIM – THEN WHO?
A couple of weeks ago, a small but surprising story came out of the Vatican. The process of being declared a Saint for a priest by the name of Fr. Walter Ciszek was officially closed.…
WHEN HOPE FEELS LOST
Had you asked me in January to name the news anchors who host programs on regular broadcast television stations, I doubt I could have gotten any of them. The media world has changed so much…