The great and hope-filled season of Lent begins this week on Ash Wednesday, February 18. The ashes come from burning previous years’ palms. They remind us of our good intentions to welcome Jesus as the crowds did a few days before his Crucifixion. But we know that time, the demands of our responsibilities, our distractions, and our struggles can make those desires to have the Lord central in our lives seem to wither and turn to dust. Yet God makes a new beginning precisely fr

From Safari….. I find the scripture readings this weekend challenging ---- share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless, clothe the naked when you see them; remove from your midst oppression, false accusation, malicious speech; you are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father. We would rather hear about God’s love for us, his presence in our lives. And yes, in the scri

You have been told, O mortal, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Those familiar words come from the prophetMicah (6:8), a clear-sighted statement of the essentials of faith in how we live our lives. But putting them into practice is not always simple. Balancing the many competing claims of justice for individuals, communities, and nations; knowing what is truly good for oneself and other

From Safari…. At times our lives experience dark seasons --- a broken relationship, the death of a loved one, chronic illness, diagnosis of cancer, unemployment, rising costs, shrinking pay checks, or loneliness. During these times it is easy to slip into despair or hopelessness. Isaiah, writing to a people in darkness, speaks of a light that will transform. By the time of Isaiah, the kingdom of David had been divided into the northern and southern kingdoms. The northern king

For almost 40 years now, I have worn either a Rose for Life or the Precious Feet pin on some item of clothing. Both are a silent testimony, widely recognized as a commitment to e. First created in 1974, just a year after the Roe v. Wade decision, the Precious Feet pin is the exact size and shape of an unborn child’s feet at 10weeks. But much has happened in that child’s life by the time he or she reaches the age of 70 days. Already at conception, every detail of the entire ge

From Safari… With the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the Christmas season ends. Short period of Ordinary Time begins Monday, as February 18th is Ash Wednesday. By his baptism by John, Jesus’ forever changes the nature of baptism. For John the Baptist, baptism was an outward expression of turning one’s heart to God. Jesus, already at one with the Father, is baptized by John, as act of self-emptying, sharing in our human nature. The descent of the Holy Spirit, is another epi

As I share in this month’s FlockNote, growing up, I tried a couple of times to position the Magi from our family nativity scene starting from the hallway and making their slow way from Christmas to Epiphany across the living room to the stable at the foot of the Christmas tree. This interfered clearly with my mother’s plans to vacuum and with everyone’s navigation of the room, so it didn’t get much traction. But for me, it captured the movement and momentum of these searchers

From Safari… My faith journey found me on loan to Crookston Diocese (or was I traded for two priest, undisclosed cash and a future number one pick) 40 years ago. I was assigned to Sacred Heart parish in East Grand Forks, as associate pastor (in today’s jargon Parochial Victor), One of my duties was a part time teacher in the parish high school. Sr. Basil, the principal, had a strict dress code. One item on the do not wear list was blue jeans. She always commented that clothin

This Thursday … a Most Blessed Christmas of Hope! The calendar points to winter’s arrival with the shortest day of the year on December 21. The longer time of darkness certainly mirrors the concerns of many hearts in difficult and fearful times in our world. How much more, then, do we understand the great joy of the shepherds, the Magi, Joseph, and Mary at the Good News that the Light of the World has come: “Today a Savior has been born for you, who is Messiah and Lord.” As w

From Safari….. Veronica was a spunky little lady. At eighty five, she swam laps every day in the pool. She loved people and they loved her. An academic she studied everything from Thomas Merton to Ira Progoff. She spent time as a spiritual director and helping out where she could. Her hearing impairment allowed her hearing aid to become a means of instantaneous centering. Finger to ear, she would switch off the hearing aid - -- and that, quite simply, was that. She then found

One of my favorite prayers in the Roman Missal comes in this Advent season. The ideas are expressed in a few different ways; this one from the First Sunday: May these mysteries, O Lord, in which we have participated, profit us, we pray, for even now, as we walk amid passing things, you teach us by them to love the things of heaven and hold fast to what endures As we draw near the conclusion of the Jubilee Year of Hope, it is good to look back on what you have been praying and

From Safari…. This weekend brings us the beginning of Advent and the start of a new liturgical year. We move from Year C, the year of Luke, in the Lectionary to Year A, the year of Matthew. The composition of the Gospel of Matthew dates between 80-90 AD. A core message in Matthew – in Jesus God becomes Emmanuel: God with us. An angel bestows that title in the opening narrative, and Jesus confirms that title in his final words: “I am with you always.” Unique to Matthew --- the

Who is Mary? What can we rightly say about the woman who accepted the incomparable call to be the Mother of Jesus, our Redeemer? And more specifically, how does her intercession for us relate to the Cross of her Son? Picture her in your mind. The image you paintings, holy cards. Scripture and prayers like the Rosary and Litany of Loreto present her faith, trust, obedience. Devotional reading, private revelation, and personal prayer depict various aspects of her times, her inn

From safari…. This is the only Sunday this month when we celebrate a Sunday in Ordinary Time. We are just two weeks away from the start of a new liturgical year. A time to look back at the story of our salvation, as told by the writer Luke. What are some of your favorite scripture readings from the past year? God’s grace is amazing! Outdoors we are preparing for the coming of winter. The outdoor growing season ended this past Saturday for me. An Elephant Ear Plant and a White

What was on this spot before me? As we observe the Solemnity of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome this weekend, the spiritual meaning is real and clear: we are part of one Body in Christ, the Church. We unite in a communion of faith in the Creed, life in the Sacraments, and Community in the one history of salvation going back in time to Jesus and his fulfillment of all things in his Cross and Resurrection. No matter where we worship, no matter how grand or how humble t

From Safari… Two days, life changing, incredible stories, join the multitude! The twin festivals of All Saints and All Souls kickoff November. Since All Saints was not a holy day of obligation, you may have missed the stunning and compelling vision of a New Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation. In part we heard, “After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lam

Somberness, like fog, blankets at least my world --- mass shootings, school shootings, assassination of Charlie Kirk, starvation and...

This year, the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross falls on Sunday. In the sorrows, violence, and challenges to hope that touch our...

From Safari…. Two questions to ponder: who or what are the most significant people or things in your life? Spouse, friend, or family...

As I write, we have just completed our Fall Festival at Sacred Heart. I am again in awe at the generosity of so many people to make this...