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The Importance of Reading the Bible Throughout my priestly ministry, I have always encouraged people to read the Bible. At a time when God, his revelation, and sacred teachings are distorted and redefined, it is a safe first practice to lead people to the Bible. By reading it, a person encounters a living word. He sees and hears God on his own terms, from his own deeds and words. Although more teaching will be needed, this initial practice of reading the Bible can dispel false images, co …

When I was in the seminary at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, one of my apostolates was to give English-speaking tours of St. Peter’s Basilica. In such a role, I encountered people of every sort and kind. Every week, parts of the world passed through my tour of the basilica.In my tour, since we were on “home turf,” I attempted to give a full summary of the Christian faith through the architecture, art, monuments, and history of this universally esteemed and recognized house of wor …

Earlier in my priesthood, I served as the vicar of vocations for my diocese, working extensively with young adults. In this way, I came to have a deep appreciation for the younger generation. Even as they struggled with entitlement, loss of purpose, and other such things, they also showed a genuine love for and desire to serve others, especially the suffering. In particular, what stood out for me was the deep esteem that those younger people had for their grandparents. They enjoyed being with th …

Some time ago, a married couple with young children reached out and asked if they could come and meet with me. Although I didn’t recognize their names, and they weren’t in our parish database system, I was happy to make some time to sit down and talk with them.The conversation started quickly, as the husband and wife wanted to tell me their story and what brought them to my office. Long story short, they were relatively new to the area, had moved here because of work, and had been visiting the l …

Throughout my priestly ministry, I have always heavily preached the importance of frequent confession. In my homiletics, I stress the spiritual goods of the sacrament and their effects on our souls. Regrettably, many of the faithful dismiss the invitation and settle for the oftentimes tragic minimum of once a year. Every once in a while, however, someone will be stirred by the Holy Spirit and will start going to regular confession.On one such occasion, a middle-aged woman (not from my current pa …