HOME THOUGHTS FROM ‘HOME’ 6 THE END OF THE ROAD             Sabbatical time is winding down; I’ll be “back in the saddle” Wednesday morning after Labor Day.  The break has been beneficial both in terms of additional flexibility in prayer time, in writing, and in...

HOME THOUGHT FROM ‘HOME’ 4 IS THERE ROOM…? I remember sitting in an outdoor series of benches in Jerusalem, in front of what is called the “Garden Tomb” or “Gordon’s Tomb.”  It is just outside the Damascus Gate, and it was a 19th century attempt to shift attention...

HOME THOUGHTS FROM ‘HOME’ 3             I have arrived at the rectory of Most Holy Redeemer in Evergreen Park.  The journey here from the seminary in Mundelein was interesting and perhaps 45 minutes longer than it might have been, but I chose the way to arrive....

THE SCAPEGOAT AND THE LAMB OF GOD Being a goat may not always be a bad thing, in spite of the press it has received thanks to the famous parable of the sheep and goats at the end of Matthew 25.  Yes, goats represent those who fail to live according to the Corporal...

HOME THOUGHTS FROM “HOME” 2             If a sabbatical is supposed to be about renewal, and if renewal can take many forms, for me it means a time for praying, reading, writing, thinking, and a bit of golf.  Sometimes these can be structured and organized; sometimes,...

Let me go back in time a bit.  We were at the end of our priests’ retreat in 2005 (held then at Spring Hill College), when I got a message that my Mom was taken to hospital with shortness of breath.  I was concerned but not panicky at that point. ...

These last several days I have had a peaceful time:  sitting on the patio of the rectory in late afternoon or early evening, perhaps with my Rosary, perhaps with a glass of wine.  I watch the birds going at it at the bird-feeders I have; I watch bluebirds...

Throughout the history of Christianity, there have been folks looking for shortcuts to salvation.  Even from very early times, groups (somewhat mistakenly) lumped together as “Gnostics” thought that since redemption has already occurred, no actions could possibly...

Special Gospel readings for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of Lent (Cycle A) are offered to us: the Samaritan woman at the well, the man born blind, and the raising of Lazarus.  All three have to do with the journey of our catechumens and candidates to the Easter...

This will be a shorter essay:  I figure I’ve given folks enough “penance” already for Lent!           Fallacy #6:  “I can’t find the time to come to church to pray on a regular basis.  I guess Sunday Mass...