FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING
22 November 2020 It must be 25 years ago already that I went to Washington, DC I’ve been there a number of times but hadn’t really done much of the touristy stuff. One of the things I did was go to the Vietnam Memorial I arrived at about 10:00 pm and was amazed by the number of people who were there. I was moved as well by the number of people who were openly grieving at the site– after all these years, still grieving. I watched them stand motionless before one spot. I watched them rub their hands over the same name, over and over. Maybe because it was dark, maybe because I too had...
Read MoreTHIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
15 November 2020 It’s no big secret that I’ve never wanted to be a priest. I’ve told the story enough times here, with you. In the end, I was reluctantly ordained. It was not because I wanted to be a priest, But because I thought it was the right thing to do. Still while a seminarian I did kind of take advantage of the fact that there was a priest shortage. Shortly before I was ordained I was offered a chancery job in a large archdiocese. When that happened, I thought I could get something out of it. I went right in to Bishop Freking who was the bishop at the time. And I told him about the...
Read MoreTHIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
8 November 2020 Several years ago I went to Baltimore to visit a young man who had been a student at UWEC. About five years earlier I had married him in his home parish on the other side of the state of WI. Just at the end of my visit I went for a short walk with Kevin. On the walk, I said, “You know as far as I can tell, you’ve got everything you ever wanted. You always wanted to be a dad. You always wanted to find a good woman to love and be the mother of your children. You always wanted to be a doctor and be good at it. You love your family, you love your work. Your life is as near...
Read MoreFEAST OF ALL SAINTS
1 November 2020 Almost every time I went back to Hatley, I’d try to make a trip to the cemetery. The cemetery is right next to the church–St. Florians. The church where I was baptized and where I made my first communion, where I was confirmed and where I was ordained. Every time you enter the church, you look past it to the cemetery. Theoretically, you can’t enter the church without thinking about ultimate things. I go there to visit my own grave. It’s there, by the side of the access road. My tombstone is there–it’s the same...
Read MoreTWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
18 October 2020 I can’t remember how old I was exactly, Still, I was old enough to be allowed to cross the street by myself. I was old enough to be able to walk up the hill to the church and go inside. I was old enough not to be afraid in the dim light of the church I was old enough to march right up to the front, Sit down and have a conversation with God. I can’t remember what I said. I can’t remember what God said. But from that day forward, I’ve never doubted God existed. Several years ago a student wrote an article for the Spectator—The UWEC newspaper. From what he wrote I got the...
Read MoreTWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
When I was an adolescent I came to a turning point, a day when I crossed a fine line with my parents which changed my relationship with them forever. It was late summer and I decided to go to the family reunion in Milwaukee. Because my parents weren’t going I made arrangements to get a ride there with my great-uncle. On Saturday morning, as I was having breakfast with my family, I announced, rather calmly that I would be leaving in about an hour for the...
Read MoreTWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
4 OCTOBER 2020 I have a list–an internal list–of the ways my life could be improved. I could have hair. I could live where it was always summer and never winter. I could sing–really sing, beautifully. I could play the piano. I could not ache after I exercise. I could eat whatever I want. I could….. Well, you get the idea. I have a list of the ways my life could be better. I bet you do too. And while you thought some of the things on my list were pretty stupid, I bet if I went around this church and had everyone list the top five ways everyone thought his or her life could be better,...
Read MoreTWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
28 SEPTEMBER 2020 Several years ago I called an old friend of mine and invited him to lunch. He had spent a lifetime building a career and becoming very successful at what he does. He’s good at what he does and he works very hard. When I finally got a hold of him he said: “Well, I just got back from Istanbul and things are piled up but sure, I can give you a lunch time.” We met on a sunny day and sat outside for lunch. He talked about all the places he’d been on his last trip. Finally, he said: “I also went to Jerusalem.” I knew instantly why he’d mentioned that last. He’d been raised...
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