Learning to be Quick to Listen

St James tell us, "Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes himself an enemy of God" (4:4). As I listen to the endless stream of mindless blather on television, I am reminded of this powerful verse. People talk about Christmas in earthly terms. They mention Santa Claus, gifts, and trees. They want a new IPad, car, or jewelry. Their passions lie with the world. The celebration of the birth of the greatest man who ever lived does not even register with many of them. It is numbing and I am saddened. Being a lover of the world means that you want to stay in this world. You are worried about leaving the things in this world behind. I am not suggesting that we should not enjoy our time on earth. In fact, we should spend it with a higher purpose. But remember that it is temporary and the greater prize is to come in the next life. The anticipation of spending eternal life with our Lord is so excit...

Pope Benedict XVI said the Catholic Church must reflect on what is wrong with its message and Christian life in general that allowed for the widespread sexual abuse of children by priests. While accepting responsiblity for the scandal, Benedict said the abuse must also be seen in the broader social context, in which child pornography and sexual tourism are rampant, and where as recently as the 1970s pedophilia wasn't considered the absolute evil that it is today. The pope made the remarks to Vatican cardinals and bishops gathered for his traditional Christmas speech, an eagerly anticipated address that Benedict uses to press key issues he wants the church hierarchy to reflect on. While stressing that most priests do good, honest work, Benedict said revelations of abuse in 2010 reached "an unimaginable dimension" that required the church to accept the "humiliation" as a call for renewal. "We must ask ourselves what we can do to repair as much as possible the...

Are you a slave of Christ Jesus? In the readings for this Sunday's Mass, St. Paul proclaims his allegiance to Christ. He declares that he is indeed a slave to Christ Jesus. The word slave in American conjures up different images than Paul is describing here but the essence is the same. Essentially, it was an honor and privilege according to the Old Testament, to be bound as a slave to God. Paul is bound to Jesus in all aspects. He is willing to do anything for Jesus. In fact, remembering Paul's conversion story, it makes this statement even more amazing. Saul, as Paul was known before his conversion on the road to Damascus, was indeed a Christ-hater. He despised the growing movement led by Christ. He tortured and persecuted people who were followers of Christ. But as we all know, his conversion experience turned everything around. St. Paul became, arguable, the most fervent disciple of Christ Jesus. Paul certainly devoted his life to spreading the message of Christ. So I go bac...

Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay has approved the Marian apparitions seen by Adele Brise in 1859, making the apparitions of Mary that occurred some 18 miles northeast of Green Bay the first in the United States to receive approval of a diocesan bishop. The decree on the apparitions' authenticity comes nearly two years after Bishop Ricken opened a formal investigation. On Jan. 9, 2009, he appointed three theologians to study the history of them. Brise, a Belgian immigrant, was 28 when Mary appeared to her three times in October 1859. The first appearance took place while Brise was carrying a sack of wheat to a grist mill about four miles from Robinsonville, now known as Champion. A few days later, on Oct. 9, as Brise walked to Sunday Mass in Bay Settlement, about 11 miles from her home, Mary appeared to her again. After Mass, Brise told the pastor what she had seen. He told her to "ask in God's name who it was and what it desired of her." On the way home from Bay Se...

Are you taking this time of Advent to prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? I know that you feel there are presents to buy and cards to send but stop a moment to figure out what is really important. The thing that most people want at this time of the year is love in all its many shapes and forms. It could be fellowship for someone who is experiencing a dark moment in their lives. It could be a text message to someone who is searching for a guardian angel. It could be a simple act of letting someone into the traffic line. It could be a smile as you pass someone in your building. The fact is that we all need to feel loved and this is an especially stressful time not only because we feel that we have so many obligations but because we are vulnerable. So often the holiday season brings up images and memories of unhappy moments. It is human nature that we dwell on the negative and we must fight to focus on the positive. Instead of harboring those disquieting me...

Since when did being Pro-Family make you a member of a hate group? According to Maggie Gallagher, chairman of the board for the National Organization for Marriage, that is exactly what the Southern Poverty Law Center has done in releasing a list of groups that include the Family Research Council, National Organization for Marriage, and Concerned Women for America. The SPLC says that these groups, and others, are anti-gay and therefore hate groups. Make no mistake; this is definitely the next step in advancing the gay agenda in America. Because the Catholic Church, as God has said, defines a family as a father, a mother, and children, the SPLC claims that is hate speech. The belief is not only Biblically-based but rooted in good scientific research that shows the family unit is the best building block of a good society. We as Catholic have to look no further than the Holy Family. Joseph and Mary raised Jesus in a loving home providing foundational religious instruction along with the t...