Last week we looked at St. John Vianney, a priest who lived in very tough times indeed, and still managed to do God’s will without worrying about anything other than the task he had been assigned: tend the Lord’s flock.
No matter what anyone says, most of us are afraid of the unknown. Isn’t that why we save for the future and buy all sorts of insurance policies? One for our life, another for the car (besides, the state requires it), a third one for the house (our mortgage lender demands it!); we even purchase [...]
Some years ago, a young Frenchman who was staying with a neighbor while studying at the School of Mines in Golden, walked over to my house as I worked in the yard. He was proud of his country. Health care was nationalized; education was free; women had the right to abortion; France, he proudly announced, [...]
Some years ago, when I was working at the Archdiocesan offices, my priestly boss went to a pet store during his lunch hour, to purchase food for his fish. The young man who helped him stared at him for a while then asked: “Excuse me, sir, are you a priest?” “Yes, I am,” answered my [...]
The first vivid memory of my life took place, logically enough, in the little village in the Alps where, during our summer vacations, my grandfather’s cabin sheltered our night and rainy days. At all other times, no one could keep us inside. Here I was, almost four-years old, walking with my aunt and cousin on [...]
Anyone who hasn’t heard that our beloved Holy Father, Benedict XVI, sent a letter to the entire world must live in complete isolation. Turn on the radio, open a newspaper, watch TV, and you’ll hear the latest “expert” proclaim what the Encyclical “Caritas in Veritate” (a/k/a, “Charity in Truth”) really means. We have become so [...]
When my siblings and I were young, we had no TV; my folks did not take us to the movies, and we loved spending time at home and with our young cousins. Were we rich or poor? We did not know nor did we ever think about it: The words meant absolutely nothing to us. [...]
My dad was not exciting. He left every morning, at the same time, and came home every evening, at the same time. Every Saturday he came to Confession with us, and every Sunday he came to Mass with us. I still have my report cards from school: he signed every one of them. Yes, he [...]
The other day I received a package from my sister. Among her gifts was a small, well used book. Engraved on the dark green, hardbound cover is a beautiful portrait of the Virgin Mary, standing on the moon with her feet crushing the head of the serpent. Translated into English, the title is The Pious [...]
My first attempts at gardening were pitiful; I did not know where to start, therefore I did not like it, and I put it off as long as I could. Consequently, by the time I walked outside, armed with the wrong tools for the job at hand, the sight of my neglected yard was overwhelming. [...]
