“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it.” Jesus is pretty clear with these words: it is going to be difficult to be one of his disciples. While making a reference to his own upcoming death on a cross, Jesus teaches us that living out the… Read more
When we are sick, it makes no sense to wait until we are healed to go to the doctor. Rather, we go to the doctor so he or she can heal us, no matter how sick we are. The doctor does not judge us for being sick. It is the doctor’s job to be present among the sick in order to heal them. We approach Jesus in this same way: ill, in need of His help and trusting that He… Read more
Durante mis estudios en Roma pasaba todos los días camino a la universidad por el frente la iglesia donde está enterrado San Felipe Neri. La mayoría de veces pasaba caminando por Chiesa Nova, pero cuando llovía, la miraba a través de la ventana del autobús y, durante los meses más fríos, pasaba en bicicleta. En esa misma iglesia hace quinientos años los fieles se congregaban para escuchar a San Felipe Neri predicar. Conocido como el Santo Patrón de la Alegría,… Read more
Jesús caminó por las orillas del mar de Galilea e invitó a jóvenes pescadores a seguirlo. Se acercó a la mesa de recaudadores de impuestos y llamó a Mateo para que fuera su discípulo. Jesús vio a Zaqueo trepado en una higuera y se invitó él mismo a cenar a la casa de Zaqueo. Se encontró con una mujer samaritana en el pozo del pueblo durante la hora más calurosa del día y por medio de una larga conversación, le… Read more
While in seminary in Rome, I would pass daily by the church where Saint Philip Neri is buried since it was on my way to the university. Most days I walked past Chiesa Nova, but when it rained, I looked at it through the window of the bus, and during the cooler months, I rode past it on my bicycle. In that very same Church five hundred years ago, the faithful gathered to hear Saint Philip preach. Known as the… Read more
During my first few years as a priest, I would travel about one hour twice per month to Macon State Prison to hear confessions and celebrate Mass. This was a high security prison between Montezuma and Americus, Georgia, and many of the inmates were young “lifers” who knew they would die in prison. I would get 15 faithful for Mass on a good evening, and about half of them were Catholic. Some would come simply because the common room where… Read more
Some time ago during a conference, the speaker shared with us words of Pope John Paul II, that the elderly are the “guardians of shared memory.” In a world where many of the elderly are cast aside and lose their sense of purpose, their vocation is to share their wisdom, advice, and guidance with the younger generation. The elderly are able to discover God’s providence and mercy as they reminisce and help the younger generation to do the same. In… Read more
I finally had a chance to read carefully the Motu Proprio Traditionis Custodes issued by Pope Francis on the use of the Roman Liturgy prior to the reform of 1970. There have been very strong responses from those Catholics who enjoy the Extraordinary Form of the liturgy according to the allowances made by Pope Benedict almost twelve years ago. Here are my thoughts on the Motu Proprio. The purpose of the document is abundantly clear: ecclesial communion. It is important… Read more
While in the Seminary, right before classes began, we started the year with a silent retreat. From Sunday evening to Friday morning, we were in absolute silence. There would be talks, sometimes during meals a spiritual text would be read out loud, there was daily Mass, and a chance to speak with a spiritual director. I would go on walks on the property, and sometimes if the gate to the retreat center was open, I’d go into the forest nearby… Read more
Response to Viganò Tape on COVID
Life Site News has published the first of a series of videos where Archbishop Viganò, former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, responds to pre-recorded questions. They are calling the series the “Viganò Tapes.” As I heard this first “tape,” I was left dumbstruck by the factual inaccuracies stated by the Archbishop in regards to the COVID vaccine. Here I share the quotes I found most troubling from the tape, and my comments. “The so-called emergency pandemic has been utilized… Read more