As a credentialed amateur greetologist — a field I invented roughly fifteen minutes ago in preparation for writing this — I can confirm that humanity has developed approximately four billion ways to acknowledge another person’s existence, and my family, through sheer determination and a complete absence of self-awareness, has attempted every last one of them. … Continue reading Headaches and the Theology of ‘The Lord Be With You’
Homily for the Ascension of the Lord Matt 28:16-20; Acts 1:1-11; Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9; Eph 1:17-23 We get into the sanctuary and, naturally, on our side there are three of us: Father English on one end, me on the other, and another priest in the middle. A seminarian comes over with detailed instructions. The … Continue reading The Tilting Bench and the Acension
Your Excellency, Bishops, Rector, members of the Board, faculty, families, Graduates of Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary— I should begin with honesty. I dislike commencement speeches. Honestly, I despise them. Not the commencement. Not the granting of degrees. The commencement speech. The genre itself. Commencement speeches usually fall into two categories: The first is inspirational optimism … Continue reading Commencement Address, St Charles Borromeo Seminary, May 23, 2026
Sixth Sunday of Easter — Year A Acts 8:5-8, 14-17; Ps 66:1-7, 16, 20; 1Pet 3:15-18; Jn 14:15-21 There is a type of loneliness modern people are not supposed to admit they feel. You feel it sometimes after a good day. The work was good. The friends were real. You come home, and the apartment … Continue reading “I Will Not Leave You Orphans”
Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year A — May 3, 2026Acts 6:1–7 | 1 Peter 2:4–9 | John 14:1–12 What have you done today? How would you answer? What exciting thing would you reach for or feel you have to make up to answer? We have a very specific definition of “accomplishment.” It involves either an … Continue reading Nothing Done in Love Is Invisible
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter, Feast of Saint Catherine of Siena First Reading: Acts 12:24—13:5a | Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 67 | Gospel: John 12:44-50 I vividly recall from the hazy recollection of my youth, a Tuesday that ended in tears, ketchup, and theological insight. And to be very clear that what happened … Continue reading Seminary Farewell Homily
Fourth Sunday of Easter — Good Shepherd Sunday (Year A) April 26, 2026 Readings: Acts 2:14a, 36-41| Psalm 23 | 1Pet 2:20b-25 | Jn 10:1-10 Coachella just ended. For those of you who have successfully avoided knowing what Coachella is, congratulations—and please pray for the rest of us. It’s a music festival in the California desert. It began in 1999 as something … Continue reading Finding the True Voice in a Noisy World
Every Mass begins with the sign of the cross: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Less than four seconds. Yet in that most foundational of prayers, usually somewhere between finding the hymn page and wondering if the mic is on, we are doing more than starting … Continue reading The Sign of the Cross: Four Seconds That Witness Everything
Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday), Year A — April 27, 2026. Acts 5:12–16 | Ps 118:2–4, 13–15, 22–24 | Rev 1:9–11a, 12–13, 17–19 | Jn 20:19–31 There is a strange moment in history that happened in Halifax, England, in November of 1938 — a time when Europe was nervously eyeing Hitler, and Halifax was nervously eyeing pretty much everything else.. … Continue reading The Threefold Gift
The stone is sealed. The guards stand watch. The world is sure it has won. He is risen. The women walk in the dark. They carry spices for a corpse. They expect only stone. He is risen. Peter wept by a charcoal fire. Judas is gone. Thomas is hiding. He is risen. The cross is … Continue reading He is Risen.
