Last Word

How would we know what Jesus would do if he were alive today?

Msgr. Charles Murphy on the beatification of Pope John Paul I

Father Wilfred Labbe reflects on the Christian meaning of love.

Catholic schools, from elementary to high school to college, serve as places of formation where students encounter Jesus Christ.

Each and every one of us is called to live out our baptismal universal call to holiness, but how, exactly, do we live out that call?

Pope Francis' reflections on four forms of closeness with Our Lord

I truly enjoyed Father Mark Nolette’s “Last Word” in the January issue of the Harvest magazine. I’d like to share something on the Eucharist myself.

With the season of Lent only hours away, many of us cannot help but think, here we go again

Encouraging someone we love – a child, a spouse, a friend – to come to Mass can be a challenge. We may encounter the famous complaint “I don’t get anything out of it!”

“Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Can we love God without loving our neighbor? To love God with one’s heart, soul, and mind and to love one’s neighbor are the greatest commandments of all.

Just as with Holy Thursday, Corpus Christi Sunday, which we celebrate June 6, provides us an opportunity to give thanks for the gift of the Eucharist to the Church and to ponder that gift.

In the twenty-second chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, we find a Pharisee, a scholar of the law, testing Jesus by asking him the question: “‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’

A comment we often hear and one we ourselves so often make is how quickly time passes. However, the passage of time often depends on the perspective from which we look at it.

As a new year begins, we sing “Auld Lang Syne,” watch fireworks, and make resolutions. Most of these New Year’s rituals are about reviewing the past year and the desire for changes in the coming 12 months.

As another liturgical year draws to a close, the Catholic Church focuses on the traditional “four last things” that await all of us on the other side of the grave:  death, judgment, heaven, and hell. 

The scenes of conflict, drama, and intrigue hijack our attention and draw us like moths to a lamp We had intended to check email and news quickly before bed.

Over these recent months, the coronavirus pandemic has consumed so much of our time and attention.  At this point, even the majority of television commercials mention it in some way.

Does it unsettle you when things are quiet – even if other people are around? Do you feel uneasy when you are alone and quiet?

In preparation for Lent, one of my favorite Scriptures to read is the First Letter of St. John. ­In this letter, the beloved disciple invites us to fellowship with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.

What would the Christmas be without the music that fills the air and enhances every gathering and celebration of the season?

The Lord Jesus commands his disciples to love God and their neighbor. Love for our neighbor includes our concern for their bodily needs, e.g. food for the hungry, and for their spiritual needs.

When it comes to politics, I must confess that I am very cynical. I do, however, pay close attention to legislation that our elected officials pass.

Waitresses busily move from table to table carrying plates filled with appetizers, burgers, salads, and sandwiches.

The week after Easter of this year, I made a trip to visit a friend and classmate from seminary. As we were driving to lunch after Mass one day, my friend put a question to me that took me by complete surprise.

Many of my fondest memories growing up took place in our family kitchen.  In many ways, we were a “kitchen” family. 

Sometimes sitting in the front is good, and sometimes sitting as far back as you can is good.  On my recent trip to SEEK2019, a gathering in Indianapolis of some 17,000 Catholic college students, I had the opportunity to do both.

When I was a seminarian, I had the opportunity to visit a seminarian friend in his native Puerto Rico. 

November is a month in which we celebrate All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. We remember the canonized saints and, indeed, all who have died.

Having been assigned to various faith communities as a priest in the Diocese of Portland over these last 25 years, I have had the privilege of meeting many people. 

One of my seminary formation faculty members, Father. Stephen Barrett, once told this story.  There was a poor family living in a neighborhood.

Being a priest who stands 6 feet, 3 inches tall, I almost didn’t see her.  Little Liliana, probably 4 or 5 years old, was way shorter than my normal field of vision.

Those who snowshoe know that it is much easier to walk where others have already gone. They have left a trail to follow. Step in their tracks, and the going is easy.

This year, we commemorate the 500th anniversary of the beginning of that series of events we call the Reformation. When Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral on October 31, 1517, he had no intention of damaging the unity of the Church.

Let me set the scene for you.  It’s the Last Supper, the night when Jesus will be arrested and the night before He will die on the cross. 

When the revised Order of Christian Funerals went into effect in the United States in 1989, one of the new features was the following rubric after the communion prayer and before the final commendation: “A member or a friend of the family may speak in remembrance of the deceased before the final commendation begins.”

I fear that we have lost something important in our contemporary spirituality of the Eucharist.  Oh, we are good at receiving holy Communion. 

There are frustrations, I am sure, in every line of work.  So, too, in ministry.  I would like to share one of mine with you, if I might. 

Recently, the Holy See promulgated a new instruction regarding cremation, "To Rise with Christ.”  By now, I suppose most American Catholics are aware of the fact that cremation is now allowed in the Catholic Church, after many years of being prohibited.  That change in the law has been with us since the early 1960’s.

It is hard to believe that it has been five years since the introduction of the new translation of the Roman Missal.  It was in November 2011 that we began using the new translation. 

Election time will be quickly upon us, and among the many issues is that of immigration.  In that light, it is good that we review the teaching of the Church on this matter. 

For a number of years, I wrote a column concerned only with liturgical matters.  From time to time, I like to return to such topics. 

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi is the name of the feast people my age grew up with.  Today, it is known as the "Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ." 

Jesus makes a lot of strong and challenging statements over the course of his ministry, but his prohibition of divorce and remarriage is of a different magnitude altogether.

When I was in high school, we used to have to memorize poems and other classic works.  I remember only bits and pieces today, but among them is the beginning of Portia's speech in The Merchant of Venice...

Every now and again, we read about some city or state in our country where a Christian group is fighting to post the Ten Commandments in the statehouse or at the state supreme court or someplace similar, on public land.  I always find that odd.

Think back with me about 10-15 years.  Maybe you remember Diversity Days.  These were days in schools and in businesses, in many places, which celebrated the diversity of our society and urged people to respect the differences which enrich the nation like the many colors of the rainbow.

On June 30 each year, we celebrate the feast day of the First Martyrs of the Church of Rome, sometimes called the "protomartyrs." 

The ancient Romans persecuted Christians for many reasons.  Some those reasons were based on misunderstandings of what Christians were all about. 

It's a dilemma. We all know that we are commanded to love all people, loving them and showing mercy and forgiveness when they offend against God's law.