Ever since I began priestly formation, the month of November has carried with it a certain solemnity and gravity. In this way, I have found the month to be both celebratory and weighty in nature. Celebratory because I am keenly reminded of life’s goal—heaven. Yet, weighty because of death’s reality and the shortness of my [...]
At Baptism, all of us became like Christ, and were entrusted with a mission like his as priest, prophet, and king. During this Easter season, may we rejoice in the gift of sharing this unique identity and mission with the resurrected Christ. Have you noticed any themes in the prayers at Mass this Easter season? [...]
What service and work has God entrusted to you? You have your mission: It’s to assist in the Church’s mission of soul-saving and cultivating the earth, just one house and one day at a time. Through your service and your mission, you are given a share in the Church’s work and, for that matter, God’s. [...]
During these days since the election of Pope Leo XIV, I’ve been reflecting on one of his many titles: Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church (Summus Pontifex Ecclesiae Universalis). It raises the question, what’s a pontiff? Pontiff comes from the Latin word pontifex. Breaking it down, pons means “bridge” and fex is a suffix which refers to the word that means [...]
Day in and day out, Mario sat begging for alms. Whether in the heat of a Roman summer or during the humid wintry days, he would sit patiently outside the seminary gate atop the Janiculum Hill. Every morning as I left for class, the routine was the same: “Buongiorno, Mario. Tutto bene?” With a kind [...]