Entries for January 2019

Today's Gospel is one of tension and contradiction. We enter the scene at the local synagogue. It is near the beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry, and he has returned home to Nazareth for a short while. There, in the midst of the men who watched him grow up and who played with him as a boy in the dusty streets, Je-sus proclaims that he is the fulfillment of the Messi-anic prophecies of Isaiah. The response is understand-ably mixed. "All spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, 'Isn't this the son of Jo-seph?'" Jesus reminds them - no...

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"He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up." Did you grow up in a small town? Whenever you see sto-ries of tight-knit communities, a common refrain is that everybody knows everybody and that's very diffi-cult to change. If you leave and return, people expect you to be and act a certain way, and it's strange for them if you do not. In today's Gospel, we see that Je-sus was already moving "in the power of the Spirit and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He...was praised by all." His ministry has begun! News of his growing popularity must have proceeded him to Nazareth. Upon his ...

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My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Over the past several months trust in the leadership of the Catholic Church and a lack of transparency has been called into question. For many, trust has been shattered in the wake of the revelations of the failures of bishops and Church officials to protect children and adults from sexual misconduct and abuse. There have been questions about what the Church is doing now to address the scourge of sexual misconduct and sexual abuse of minors. The Diocese of Norwich takes the issues of sexual misconduct and abuse of children and adults very seriously. I would like to take this ti...

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“To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” (1 CORINTHIANS 12:7) St. Paul tells us that God has blessed each of us for a reason. How has God blessed you? Are you using your gifts according to God’s plan? How are you helping to build God’s kingdom here on earth? Remember that if you don’t do the work God planned for you, no one else can do it. Live the life God has intended for you, feel His love, peace and joy! When you think of being Catholic, what do you think of? Perhaps you grew up with your only asso-ciations being fasting, nuns with rulers, an...

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My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,  January 22, 2019 marks the forty-sixth anniversary of the Roe V. Wade Supreme Court decision. This year, as has become a tradition, hundreds of thousands of the faithful will gather in Washington, DC for the an-nual March for Life. This year's march is on January 18 and the theme is: " Unique from Day One: Pro Life is Pro Science." It is always inspiring to see young and old gathered to witness to life. It is a sign of hope that Life is winning in America.  The teaching of the church on human life has been consistent and clear since the first century. T...

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Think of what it's like to wait a long time. Can you imagine what it would be like to wait for centuries? No one person lives that long, of course. But for the Israelites, they had heard the stories from generation to generation. They had been conquered time and time again, and now "the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ." They had been wait-ing for a Messiah, one who did miraculous deeds and said profound things; someone aglow with the glory of God. We all know what it's like to hope and be disappointed. But what if your hopes were fu...

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