It is increasingly difficult to find anything worth watching on TV. Your choices seem to be limited to mindless comedies, intense cop shows, talent shows, and endless talking heads on 24/7 news channels that seem to be closer to scripted “reality” shows than real news. My wife and I were roaming through the channel options
Today I saw my first robin of the year. The little red-breasted bird is the traditional sign that spring has finally arrived in this part of the world (Erie, PA). The robin and squirrels chasing each other around and around tree trunks bring instinctive joy to an ice encrusted heart. The temperature yesterday broke records
The last of the pastoral plan core values is prayer. It seems strange that we need to specifically identify prayer as a core value but in this world of movements, social groups, Tweets and Facebook wall messages it may help to stop and remind ourselves that our faith isn’t just some social activity. It certainly
When Paul described himself as a steward he was implying that God had given him a responsibility to proclaim the Gospel and to nurture new believers. God was the author and source of the Good News, but Paul understood that he was responsible to share in the spreading of the Gospel. He understood this responsibility
Every now and then you will hear of someone having a “green thumb”. This doesn’t mean that their thumb is literally green but rather that they are exceptionally successful in caring for plants. My wife has a “green thumb”. Where ever we have lived, either in the CNMI or in Erie, Pauline has planted a
One of the core values of the Diocesan Pastoral Plan is forgiveness. Forgiveness is probably the most difficult thing Jesus asked of his disciples. It is not an easy thing to do because you are being asked to let go of what you perceive as righteous anger and indignation. You feel that you have justice
Justice is an important element of any society. No society can survive for very long if its members don’t have a sense of being treated fairly. Justice helps to ensure that if one person or group abuses another that the abuser will be stopped, and some sense of balance restored. The essential function of government
Scripture provides a balance of the individual and the community in the values it espouses. The vision that Christ sets before us as our goal is the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is embodied in Christ but is meant to be a social reality, a community rooted in the will of God. While our individual
The United States is a nation that may be on the extreme end of valuing the individual and independence. This value has been shaped by the colonial history of the nation and the character of many of the people who migrated to the shores of the New World. Most of these immigrants were people who
When I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Chuuk back in the mid 70’s every few feet someone would call out to me to come and join them. “Come, eat!” While it served as a greeting, it also expressed a basic hospitality that was part of the culture. The stranger was welcome. Since then I’ve