Perfectionists are often exhausted. They don’t know how to relax. It’s important to realize that being perfect is not as important as being at peace with who you are. There’s a lesson to be learned from those less fortunate than ourselves. The blind and the disabled often have a certain calmness about them. They have […]

After 56 years of the priesthood, at age 85, I want to say a word of thanks to my brother priests, who have sacrificed so much to bring the good news of God’s love to our troubled world. Years ago, the priests of my diocese elected me to be their clergy personnel director, a job […]

In an age of porn and sleaze, the need for a deepened respect for the positive aspects of human sexuality is real. In marriage, the desire to give one’s self to the delight of the beloved is a sign of Christian holiness. Human sexuality is perhaps the most talked about but least understood subject in […]

There are two things to remember about your spiritual life: 1) It extends way beyond your prayer life to the way you treat others, the way you spend your money, the way you maintain your self-respect and even to your politics; 2) It also includes the way you relate to God through your local parish. […]

  The Oscar for best picture of the year went to “Spotlight,” the movie that told the story of the child sex abuse scandal in the Archdiocese of Boston. It was released Nov. 6, 2015, and received six Oscar nominations, including two wins. To date, it has grossed nearly $100 million in foreign and domestic […]

  God loves you and gives you spiritual gifts. The Letter of James states, “Every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father” (Jas 1:17). God gives you the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells his disciples that the Father “will give you another Advocate to be with you always” (Jn 14:16). His presence includes […]

  Pure prayer is a joy. This idea came from British Benedictine Abbot John Chapman, a biblical scholar and popular preacher who died in 1933. He taught that prayer is not necessarily found in our lofty thoughts or words, nor is it a matter of pious feelings; he insisted you should never force feelings of […]

  A woman confided to me that she was terribly afraid for her grandchildren to grow up in a world like ours. I conceded that the dangers are real, but I reminded her of the words of Jesus: “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world” (Jn 16:33). […]