VIEWS

Noah’s neighbors were so engrossed in celebrating their good fortune that they were caught unprepared for the calamity of the Flood. Had they invited the less-fortunate villagers, perhaps the party may have ended in joy.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, but giving thanks to the Lord for our many blessings should be a way of life, not just a fleeting thought on the fourth Thursday of November.

My mother and father’s 73-year marriage came full circle several weeks ago as Mom and the rest of our family lovingly ushered my father to the goal of their union from the beginning: the merciful encounter with our heavenly Father when this earthly life is done. The little church where we celebrated the funeral Mass was filled to overflowing with those touched by the truth, goodness and beauty of my parents’ deeply loving and fruitful, even if not perfect, union.

El matrimonio de 73 años de mi padre y mi madre volvió al punto de partida hace varias semanas cuando mi mamá y el resto de nuestra familia guiamos con amor a mi padre al objetivo de su matrimonio desde el principio: un encuentro misericordioso con nuestro Padre celestial cuando se termina esta vida terrena. La pequeña iglesia donde celebramos la Santa Misa del funeral estaba llena a rebosar con las personas que habían sido tocadas por la verdad, la bondad y la belleza de la unión profundamente amorosa y fructífera, aunque no perfecta, de mis padres.

It’s not easy to get your head around the concept of the kingdom of God and its meaning for your own life. Then, just when you think you understand, it eludes you again.

During my childhood, long before the days of downloadable music and satellite radio, there was vinyl (which, curiously, is making a comeback!). In our home, there was quite a collection of record albums, and my mother exposed us to the music of Schubert, Beethoven, Chopin and all the great composers.

While reading this week’s Scriptures a song from the 2005 David Crowder Band album, “A Collision,” came to mind. One line in the song says, “Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die.” The reading from 2 Maccabees describes how many members of the Maccabee family were tortured and martyred by the occupying Greek army. To a person, they all welcomed death rather than violating their faith because they knew they would see God upon their death.

If there’s one thing this rancorous political season has revealed, it’s that America is in a battle for its soul. Who are we and what do we stand for?

Amid last summer’s series of tragic shootings in cities across the country, a news story reported that the alleged gunman who killed several police officers in Dallas had received tactical instruction at a private self-defense academy two years earlier.

Hoy quiero considerar el trabajo pastoral de los sacerdotes, que, en la dirección espiritual y confesión, buscan ayudar a otros a encontrar la Amoris Laetitia, “La alegría del amor”. Previamente durante este año, el Papa Francisco, que ha hecho de la confesión un tema constante de su pontificado, escribió en su reciente libro, “El Nombre de Dios es Misericordia”, “Es importante que vaya al confesionario, que me ponga a mí mismo frente a un sacerdote que representa a Jesús, que me arrodille frente a la Madre Iglesia llamada a distribuir la misericordia de Dios. Hay una objetividad en este gesto, en arrodillarme frente al sacerdote, que en ese momento es el trámite de la gracia que me llega y me cura”.