The attack on human life and the family goes all the way back to the beginning. When the “father of lies” led Adam and Eve to question our true Father’s warning, he was attacking the fundamental truth that we are created for life and family. Death was the result of that first sin and it remains true to this day.
Life requires faith. Faith is trust in our loving Father and His guidance despite whatever fears we face in the moment. The truth is there is no threat or danger or hopeless moment that cannot be faced with love. Love for the life we are given and the lives we are entrusted with is th...
Read More
Dear Families,
Tomorrow morning, before most of us have even had our first cup of coffee, our high school students-- and several brave chaperones-- will be boarding a bus for the long drive to Washington, DC. Each year we march in solidarity with those who believe in the sanctity of life-- all life. We march to remind people that in America, sadly, those most vulnerable among us, are most in danger. While speaking at a National Prayer Breakfast in February 1994 Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta spoke the following words:
“...I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, becau...
Read MoreDear Families,
I am fairly confident that anyone who knows too much about me and my personal quirks would speculate that this month's virtue is a favorite of mine. If so, you are on to something. My wife and children would attest to it as well; as soon as I get home, I morph into a drill sergeant of sorts summoning the children to pick up after themselves. I do not purport to enjoy this part of my personality, because if it becomes disordered in any way it can be destructive. There is a right and a wrong way to politely ask someone to pick up and prepare their own belongings.
Orderliness is th...
Read More
Dear Families,
The world is increasingly full of information and advice, facts and figures. Everywhere you turn the tv, radio, newspaper, and more continually spout an endless cacophony of information pertaining to…. everything! It is overwhelming to listen to, and maddening to figure out what we are supposed to do.
Which is why it is good to remember God’s advice: "Be still and know that I am" (Psalm 46:10). Or that in quiet His voice is found: "...but the Lord was not in the earthquake… but the Lord was not in the fire…” (1 Kings 19:11-13). We only need to look inward to know what to do. ...
Read More
Dear Families, Faculty, and Friends,
The Christmas season has only just begun! I find it very fitting that the Christmas season is filled with so many feasts and solemnities. While the secular world deliberates what type of resolutions can be made at the turn of the calendar year, our liturgical calendar points us to the truest type of resolution: the resolution to accept the gift of life and mission from God, evident in the lives of these Christmas saints. This is not a once a year type of change, but instead the transformation of living a life of meaning that resolves to live each day bette...
Read More
Dear Families,
The season of Advent inspires us to be awed by simplicity. God's power is not evident in where we perceive it to be; I think of so many prayer intentions offered that have yet to be answered. Much like the people of Israel who were awaiting their preconceived politically messianic figure, I find my own prayer intentions outside of God's plan in the here and now.
This makes me ponder, what are we to do with the here and now then? The Church speaks to us on this occasion the words of St. Leo the Great. In his homily we come across a very famous exhortation. Perhaps the greatest ...
Read MoreDear Families,
As Advent began last week we were blessed to have an excerpt from a pastoral letter by St. Charles Borromeo featured in the Divine Office:
Beloved, now is the acceptable time spoken of by the Spirit, the day of salvation, peace and reconciliation: the great season of Advent. This is the time eagerly awaited by the patriarchs and prophets, the time that holy Simeon rejoiced at last to see. This is the season that the Church has always celebrated with special solemnity. We too should always observe it with faith and love, offering praise and thanksgiving… When we remove all obstac...
Read MoreDear Families,
It is never easy to process different but converging experiences, so here goes.
Sunday marked the beginning of Advent, followed by a solid snow storm, and then yesterday was Giving Tuesday. Here we have the liturgical calendar and its primacy transitioning into the reality of weather - an uncontrollable but inescapable dynamic to be dealt with - then a secular occasion that summons reflection on why we give what we give to what we do.
As I was immersed in all of these experiences, I got to thinking.
There is one certainty in life: all parents want what is good for their children...
Read MoreDear Families,
As I was listening to a podcast recently, I was again struck by something of note. It concerns the idea of paideia: the Greek ideals pertaining to the education and formation of young children. The priests on the podcast (Catholic Stuff You Should Know) likened this to gardening. Molding the young, helping children to choose the right path, is indeed similar to gardening. (I did like the metaphor extension when they noted the difference between pruning vs. weed-wacking!) Also discussed the importance of creating a nurturing and proper environment to encourage good growth.
It ma...
Read More