On Feb. 24, 1977, my friend, Jesuit Father James McCoy, died a peaceful death at the age of 77. Every February, he comes to mind, and I miss him. He was my spiritual director for nearly 25 years. He taught theology at Fordham University during my college years, and we became friends.

  Recently, I received a letter from a person desperate because his brother left the church in anger, saying a lot of what the church teaches is a myth. I told the person I would pray for the situation. But I imagine there are a lot of similar situations out there. Here are a few […]

As a priest for over 55 years, I’ve heard a lot of confessions. It’s one of the joys of the priesthood to bring peace to the souls who come to us for relief. Inner pain that comes from guilt can be awful. Some people seek the help of psychiatrists or psychologists to help them quiet […]

Have you ever had an out-of-body-experience? Hundreds of books have been written about it going back centuries. They generally report that the sensation of being lifted out of one’s body happens unexpectedly. You find yourself looking down on yourself below. It happened to me once, and it had a powerful influence on my life. Recently, […]

Faith teaches us that divine providence is somehow at work behind the scenes in the day-to-day events of our lives. Ask yourself, How did your parents meet? What sparked the mutual attraction between them? They probably met by accident, or so it seemed to them. Whatever the explanation might have been, the fact is that […]

It gives me great pleasure to tell you that I love Mary. I not only love her, but I obey her. I love her because she is the mother of my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. I obey her. As the mother of Jesus, she is a mother with authority. Jesus is bone of her […]