About a month ago, on the Solemnity of the Epiphany, I spoke in my homily about how I have been struggling in prayer about how best to evangelize in a post-Christian culture. It is still overwhelming and daunting. Part of the problem is that I am trying to find a human answer using human means. I clearly am struggling to give up control and trust that God is with us. So, how blessed and fitting it is to have a year dedicated to St.Joseph. Click title for full column.

The end of January each year often brings the Church’s attention to the ongoing efforts to promote respect for human life, from conception to natural death. Each year, I struggle to find words to express the deep sadness that this divisive issue brings to my heart. I was born fifteen years after the legalization of abortion in the United States, and so mine has always been a world in which thousands of my peers, those who would be my brothers and sisters in Christ, perish before they have a chance to live, grow, and be loved. There is much hurtful and dangerous rhetoric on both sides of this issue, and instead of being a productive and fruitful conversation amongst those who disagree over something of immense importance, it is now a decades-long shouting match. Click title for full column.

There is an almost pathological aversion to talking about religion or sharing one’s Faith in our contemporary culture. We are cautioned to keep conversations at bars to the topics of sports, television, and the weather, lest we accidentally become too political, or even worse, religious. But this aversion demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of what our Faith is supposed to be in our lives, and reorienting the way we think about our Faith might make us more likely to share it with others in the same way that Andrew brings his brother to Jesus in this week’s Gospel. Click title for full column.

It is so fitting and exciting that we have the pleasure to announce on the Baptism of the Lord that WWPR is having a Safe Haven Sunday on the weekend of February 7. We can only chalk it up to Divine Providence. God always knows best! At our Baptisms, in addition to the incredible gifts of the cleansing of original sin and the conforming of our souls to Christ, we are given the light of Christ. Our parents and godparents promise to protect that light—to keep it burning brightly! Priests, catechists, grandparents, and other family members have the privilege and duty to share in that responsibility. You all do an incredible job protecting them from so many dangers that threaten to dim the light of Christ within them. It is because you love your children and grandchildren. You know them better than anyone else. You use that love to teach how to avoid danger and stay safe. You teach them to come to you when they are in danger. Click on title for full column.

Happy Epiphany to you all! I have a close friend from college who used to celebrate the Epiphany with his extended family that couldn’t gather on Christmas Day, and they would all revel in the gifts brought to them by the mythical Epiphany camel. In other parts of the world this feast day maintains its significance as an integral part of the Christmas season. Here in the states it is largely glossed over by the secular culture, but it is a rich source of meditation for us nonetheless. Click title for full column