Fyodor Dostoevsky once wrote, “Man adapts to anything, the scoundrel,” and I have found that to be true on numerous levels. In terms of the difficulties we can overcome and the struggles we adapt to, the human spirit is remarkable in its ability to quickly go from a task or situation being unbearable to it being just part of the job. The first time I looked at a finance report after I became pastor, I almost had a panic attack and crumpled into a pile of indecision. Now, I skim them for three minutes before finance meetings start and feel more than prepared to discuss the minutia of where money in the parish is going. That speaks to the indomitability of the human spirit. Less savory is the way we quickly become accustomed to incredible blessings that we should never stop thanking God for, and soon enough take them completely for granted. I do my best to offer prayers of thanksgiving after Mass and after receiving Holy Communion, but I still often find myself rushing off after Mass to the next thing/meeting/crisis. To allow the sacred to seem mundane in our hearts is a true tragedy and one that we must constantly be on guard against.  Click on title for full column.

As some of you may know, the Catholic Church in the United States has recently entered into a multi-year Eucharistic revival aimed at reinvigorating our Faith in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. It is a great example of a core belief of the Church that we should reflect on every day but that can also use a tune-up every so often. Just as we should seek to enter more deeply into a life of prayer each day, it does us good to go on a retreat in order to get an additional boost.   Click on title for full column.

A few months after I started my first assignment, I got a call on the non-emergency line from a family that had some big stuff going on that they wanted to process as a family. They were excited, nervous, and pretty much every other emotion on the spectrum, and they called me because they thought it would be nice to have one of their parish priests around to pray with them as everybody talked through important vocational stuff. I told them I’d be there, and when we got off the phone, I stared out the window for a few moments and thought about how much I love being a priest, precisely because of moments like that one. Getting called into moments when people see their need for God’s grace is what it’s all about. Click on title for full column.

This bulletin column covers everything from chairs to parishioners heading on mission to Mexico City. Those things go together, right? Definitely. Click on title for full column.