FAITH IN FOCUS

For some 20 years, I have been pleased to share reflections with you each week in our bulletin. I’ve become convinced recently that it would be good for you to receive some other perspectives on things as well. While I will continue to write from time to time, I will also present some other thoughts. Whether responses to frequently asked questions or brief meditations on our relationship with the Lord, I hope that you will be enriched by these more varied faith notes. ~ Bishop Christian

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Paradise Begins Today

Not long ago, I was called to a hospital to anoint a woman in her early 80s. She was dying, and visibly in pain. But what struck me most wasn’t her suffering — it was the atmosphere in the room. She had eight children and 30 foster kids, and many of them were gathered around her. You’d expect sorrow, fear, maybe even despair. But the room was filled with something else entirely — a quiet strength, a kind of sweetness. It was as if she was suffering not just with them, but fo

5 days ago

He is Steady

When I was a kid growing up in New England, I'd occasionally go on a whale watch. Once we went out with calm waters and clear skies. But on the way back in, the sea got rough. I was just a kid, and I remember thinking we should turn left or right toward the shoreline I could see. But the pilot of the boat kept going straight- right into the waves - focused on a small, discouragingly distant lighthouse. Even when it flickered in and out of sight, he stayed the course. He knew

Nov 14

The Dedication of the Lateran Basillica

When I was 22, I entered St. Peter’s Basilica for the first time. It floored me. I could hardly take it in, its grandeur, majestic arches, vibrant colors, and the light that danced through its high windows. Somehow, amidst such splendor, I felt an overwhelming sense of belonging, as if I had finally come home. Jesus reorients how we Catholics see sacred buildings. In today’s Gospel he says, “ Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up ” (John 2:13-22). His ridd

Nov 4

The Semicolon

Mini reflection: I imagine the hand of God writing me into existence — she lived, she died — using for ink the very dirt that fills my grave. The dust from which I was created. The Semicolon: My grave is in the corner of a cemetery in rural southeastern Wisconsin. For at least a mile in every direction, all you can see is farmland — cows, barns and quiet country roads. It’s beautiful, serene. I imagine the hand of God writing me into existence — she lived, she died — using

Oct 29

Sinners With A Profound Hope

Every now and then readers of these reflections write letters in which they object to something. Years ago, this Gospel of Luke 18 prompted such an email. A man wrote to me: “I find it deeply offensive that you suggest we are still sinners once we are God’s sons and daughters.” His objection stirred in me a profound awareness of the paradox at the heart of our faith. Are we sinners or beloved children of God? In this Gospel (Luke 18:9-14), a tax collector appears as one who h

Oct 22

The Prayers We Don’t Say

Mini reflection : In the same way that a judge cannot go looking for conflicts to mediate, God will not force his way into our problems. What would be the point? What is our life on earth for, if it is not to teach us how to turn willingly to God? The Prayers We Don’t Say : It has always confused me: why a judge? Jesus could have compared prayer to the subject who requests a gift of his king. He could have compared it to the child who asks a favor of a parent. But in the para

Oct 15

Unlimited Gratitude

Dorothy Day, the great Catholic activist, doubted God’s existence. At least in her early adult years. But something changed when after giving birth to her daughter, she experienced an overwhelming gratitude. She later described how, as she held her daughter, the only appropriate response was a kind of unlimited gratitude. She had done nothing to deserve such a gift — this tiny, miraculous life — but there she was, flooded with gratitude, completely undone by the love of such

Oct 9

Quiet Faithfulness

A priest friend of mine received a call from a family whose elderly mother was dying. Within thirty minutes, he was at her bedside, offering the consolation of the sacraments, anointing her with the oil of the sick, and commending her soul to God. She passed not long after, and for months, her family spoke of their deep gratitude for his presence. When I phoned him to commend his faithful ministry, he simply said, “I was just doing my job.” His words brought to mind Jesus’ te

Oct 2