If I had a dollar for every time someone said to me “father, why does the Church have so many rules? Why can’t we just all love each other and get along” I would be a rich man. While there are many different responses to this question, the main problem with this statement is… Continue reading 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
Start of School Year Reflection for Teachers
I certainly enjoy the time away over summer break and I believe this time away is necessary for us to have the leisure required to be effective teachers. Likewise I am convinced that this time away for our students is essential for them to have a chance to truly grow into the people God is… Continue reading Start of School Year Reflection for Teachers
Solemnity of the Sacred Heart Year B
So often, in today’s culture, we associate the heart with affections, emotions and other sentiments, but in the bible, the heart has a much deeper meaning. When we encounter the heart in the bible, it indicates the core of the person’s being. In the bible, the heart is the interior reality of the person, and… Continue reading Solemnity of the Sacred Heart Year B
Wedding Homily for my brother and sister in law
Nina and Paul, as we gather to celebrate your wedding, it only seems appropriate that we first pause and give thanks to God for bringing you two to this point. Afterall, it is certainly only by God’s grace that we are here today and if you need proof that it is God’s grace, go back… Continue reading Wedding Homily for my brother and sister in law
On the Good Samaritan & the Practice of Medicine
So often when one thinks of medicine in the bible their mind immediately turns to the parable of the Good Samaritan. While this certainly makes sense, the challenge with this parable is that we are so familiar with it, which perhaps that familiarity prevents the parable from speaking to us in our present context. So… Continue reading On the Good Samaritan & the Practice of Medicine
Annual Day of Recollection for the Teachers of John Paul II Prep
Aristotle rightly taught that things should be evaluated in relationship to their purpose or end, their telos. For Aristotle, a good knife is one that cuts, because the purpose of a knife is to cut. If a knife no longer cuts well, we either sharpen it or we dispose of it and buy a new… Continue reading Annual Day of Recollection for the Teachers of John Paul II Prep
Homily for the Graduation Mass of Pope St. John Paul II Prep Class of 2023
Gathering to celebrate the commencement services for the St. John Paul II preparatory school class of 2023, the Church commemorates the Ascension of our Lord. Today, we celebrate that moment when Christ, having already thrown open the gates of heaven through His passion, death, and resurrection, ascended to the right hand of the Father, where,… Continue reading Homily for the Graduation Mass of Pope St. John Paul II Prep Class of 2023
6th Sunday of Easter Year A / Mother’s Day
Happy Mother’s Day! Like many of you, over the past several days, I have been thinking a lot about what to get my mom for Mother’s Day. As I was dreading the reality that I might actually have to go shopping, it dawned on me that perhaps I have already given her the best gift… Continue reading 6th Sunday of Easter Year A / Mother’s Day
5th Sunday of Easter Year A
There are really not many guarantees in the world today, but there is one guarantee for each and every one of us. It is a guarantee many of us don’t want to think about, a guarantee many of us do not want to talk about, a guarantee that many of us don’t want to plan… Continue reading 5th Sunday of Easter Year A
Choose Life: What is on the Horizon
A reflection for the Archdiocese of St. Louis’s CHOOSE LIFE Lenten Pro-Life Series February 26, 2023 As an ethicist, I am afforded the privilege of challenging our world to step back from individual solutions to ensure that the practical goods they are pursuing are aimed at man’s absolute good. In a culture, that so often… Continue reading Choose Life: What is on the Horizon
Through The Cross To Light 