Homily: Friday, 10th Week in Ordinary Time (Year 2)

 Readings: I Kgs 19:9a,11-16; Ps 27; Mt 5:27-32

________________________

A few days ago, as I read today’s readings, I found myself recalling many of the conversations I’ve had with atheists and agnostics over the years. In almost every one of those conversations I could detect a subtle, but very real, hope that God does exist. As one young self-declared agnostic said to me, "It would certainly make life more understandable, knowing there’s a God behind all this. As it is now, for me, life is pretty meaningless.”

Yes, without God, life becomes meaningless, just a physical, chemical accident. And yet that hint of hope has always been there. It’s really the same desire expressed in today’s psalm, a Psalm of David, sung 3,000 years ago:

I long to see your face, O Lord.

We all seek God, to see Him, to as know Him, and it’s true even for those who don’t believe in Him. As my mom use to say, “Hope can lead us to faith; otherwise, we’re just consumed by fear.”

Perhaps St. Augustine, who took a rather odd, winding path to the Catholic Church, put it best: “…our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

Yes, we’re all on a pilgrimage, brothers and sisters, even those who aren’t fully aware of it. We can wander aimlessly, achieving little, or we can open our hearts to the Spirit and let Him lead us.

A few weeks ago, in one of our Bible Study sessions, a participant, concerned about a tragic event described in Genesis, asked me: “Why would God do that? Why would He let that happen?” Well, we discussed the event hoping to achieve some understanding of God’s purpose. But in truth, what I wanted to answer him with: “How do I know? I’m not God!”

That’s really not a bad answer. So often, we simply underestimate our all-powerful, all-knowing God, whose ways are so far above us. As the Archangel Gabriel said to our Blessed Mother: “nothing will be impossible for God” [Lk 1:37]. I suppose the question for us is do we believe that? Or are we like Peter when Jesus rebuked him:

“You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” [Mt 16:23].

Just consider Elijah in today’s reading. Hunted by enemies who sought his death, in particular a rather evil queen Jezebel, Elijah seemed to have had enough, enough of everything, enough even of life. He actually hoped to die. But fed by angels, he obeyed God and made his way to Horeb, God’s holy mountain. There, God asked him:

“What are you doing here, Elijah?”

The prophet, zealous and faithful, told the Lord what He already knew “I alone am left, and they seek to take my life.” He was afraid and alone. So, God put on a remarkable display of His power. Then, when the noise and violence had ceased, Elijah encountered the God of Creation – as one translation put it – in a “sound of sheer silence.”

God passes by like a soft breeze and the man covers his face because God has not yet become man. Only then will we see Him in the flesh, face to face. And only then will we adore Him as well in the gift of His Eucharistic Presence. And that’s what the world needs today. With senses inundated by the noise of this world, how can people recognize Him as He passes by? How can they see His face or hear the sheer silence of His holy Word?

Elijah Hides His Face

Elijah, whose faith was beyond question, was often left in the dark by God. Yet the Spirit was always there, leading and aiding the prophet as he tried to accomplish all these missions he’s been given. God expects obedience, and in a sense says: “Just do what I say, and I’ll handle everything else.” For Elijah, God’s immediate purpose becomes clear over time. But His ultimate purpose looks ahead 1,000 years, pointing to something new and wonderful: humanity’s redemption by Jesus Christ.

How about us? Are you and I prophets? Are we courageous enough to evangelize, to be God’s messengers, to speak His Word to the world? Yes, we’re called to do just that. But like Elijah and Jesus we face a culture, a culture of death, that screams its lies at us.

In our Gospel passage Jesus gets the attention of the crowd with His vivid images of plucking out eyes and cutting off hands. He’s not encouraging bodily mutilation, but He is he’s telling them: this is serious stuff; pay attention.

Then stressing the sixth commandment, Jesus really addresses the dignity of every person, the respect people should have for each other. We cannot simply use others for personal pleasure or to satisfy appetites. For Jesus is really addressing the nature of love, which is not just an emotional feeling, or a physical attraction. As anyone who’s been married a while realizes, true love demands a continual decision.

In contrast to today’s cult of self-absorbed pleasure seeking, the Gospel sets high standards. Not only does love demand faithfulness but it also calls us to be chaste in both thoughts and actions. Interesting too is that Jesus puts men and women on a morally equal level, which later causes some dismay among His disciples.

Today we often encounter the painful breakdown of marital relationships. While each case must be treated with pastoral sensitivity, we cannot neglect the fundamental values Jesus stresses here.

I suppose it’s all encompassed in Jesus’ first words of His public ministry:

"Repent, and believe in the Gospel" [Mk 1:15].

Yes, indeed, we must change our hearts and minds, and accept the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ in our lives.

A Look To the Past

A parishioner sent me a link to one of my own posts, written 13 years ago, telling me how prophetic it was. I disagreed strongly. It was not at all prophetic, but merely a statement of the reality we faced at the time. I also chided him for spending any time reading stuff I wrote years ago. I’m sure he had far better things to do.

Anyway, the post was written on September 28, 2008, just weeks before the election of Barack Obama as president. I did not support Obama for many reasons, but primarily because he denied the right to life and the sanctity of marriage. I firmly believe that anyone who supports abortion cannot honestly claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Such people are morally and spiritually dysfunctional. We must pray for their conversion.

All the issues I addressed in that post remain with us today. They differ only in their degree of acceptance by the American people. We are still aborting millions of unborn children and a large percentage of American Catholics and other Christians continue to support and elect pro-abortion politicians. Despite the scandal surrounding former Cardinal McCarrick, too many bishops still tolerate active homosexual priests. Sadly, the scandals of the past will likely continue into the future. As for our society, greed has penetrated every level, and has especially driven our largest corporations. In particular, the huge social media multinationals have become so big and so supportive of big government that our nation is beginning to mirror the traditional fascist state in which complete control of the population becomes the overriding goal. 

That these evils remain among us today is not at all prophetic, but merely a reflection of what happens when a society, when our nation, turns its back on the God who loved us into being. God asks for a response. He asks for our repentance, our faith, and our obedience. Did not Our Lord Jesus begin His public ministry with the words, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the Gospel” [Mk 1:15]?

Here’s a link to that earlier post: Elections and Disintegration

Take some time to pray today and thank God for creating you, for giving you the wondrous gift of life.

Video & Text -- Homily: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

I have embedded below a video of my homily for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Tme, Year C (11 August 2019). The text follows the video.

Readings: Wis 18:6-9; Ps 33; Heb 11:1-2, 8-19; Lk 12:32-48

------------------

Today's Gospel reading reminds me of the old story of the apparition on the corner of Main and Market in a busy city.

It was Saturday morning when Fr. O'Brien heard a knock on the rectory door and an extremely excited parishioner said, "The Lord has appeared on the corner of Main and Market." As Father was trying to decide from what kind of mental illness she was suffering, a second person ran up to the door, "Father, Father, the Lord has appeared on the corner of Main and Market."

"When?" Fr. O'Brien asked. "He's there right now," they both answered. So Fr. O'Brien went down the block where a large crowd had formed, and sure enough, he saw Jesus. After a few moments Jesus looked intently at the priest and then disappeared.

Fr. O'Brien didn't know what to do, and called a wise monsignor friend of his, who told him to call the bishop. So he called the bishop and, after relating what had happened, asked, "What should I do if Jesus comes back?" 

After a moment the bishop said, "Look, Father, let me think about it and get back to you." The bishop then called Rome, and, since he was an important bishop, he was put through to the pope. 

"Holy Father," he said, "One of my priests, Fr. O'Brien, reports that the Lord has appeared on the corner of Main and Market in his parish. He wants to know what to do if the Lord returns."

After a brief moment the pope replied, "Tell Fr. O'Brien to look busy."

Yes, look busy, for the Lord is returning. But, of course, as the pope actually knows, it's not enough just to look busy is it? We have to be busy as well. And there's a lot to keep us busy. 

People all around us are lost, seeking meaning in their broken lives. And we Christians, we Catholics, have been given the answer. Wrapped up in our faith is our recognition of the reason for existence. 

We humans love to complicate things, while God always simplifies. And the answer to all questions is simple: the answer to all questions is Jesus Christ. It's an answer we can offer to others simply by our attitude toward life itself, and by how we live that life, by how we place God first in every aspect of our lives - out there in the world, here among us, and here within each of us. This complicated world of ours really becomes very simple when we make it clear to ourselves that by God's presence we are enriched beyond measure. 

Brothers and sisters, as we each come to a deeper understanding of Jesus' presence in our lives, He is like that pearl of great price the merchant in the Gospel parable sacrificed everything to obtain. When every aspect of our lives is centered on our relationship with God, we will reject those things that distract us from the His Divine Presence. 

For example, we don't avoid immorality just because the Church says something is bad. We avoid immorality because by doing so we refuse to allow immorality to cloud the Presence of the Lord within us, or even to steal Jesus from us. Isn't it interesting that virtually all sinful things are habitual, almost addictive, things, that they take over our lives leaving no room for God.

Yes, holding on to Jesus will definitely keep us busy - busy fighting against our imperfections and weaknesses, busy fighting against temptations. And if we truly live our faith in the world, we'll also be kept busy dealing with those who mock us for our Christianity, for living our Catholic Faith. These attacks can overwhelm; it's not easy to defend God in a world that's turned against Him. 

If you're blessed with children (and grandchildren) you struggle to keep them close to God, to help them reject the things of the world. It takes a real effort to help them develop into faithful Christians, all the while realizing that at some point they must make their own decisions. All we can do is provide love and direction and help them accept God's gift of faith. When we do this work, when we provide this love, when children experience Jesus Christ in their homes, God will work wonders in their lives.

Yes, being busy for God keeps you busy. It means doing all the important things in your home: praying together as a family, every day; reading the Bible together, every day. It means letting our children know, and reminding ourselves, that God is there waiting for us to come to Him in prayer. Regardless of your occupation, you can do no greater work than opening your children to their spiritual potential. And, yes, it will keep you busy. Our parental responsibility doesn't disappear just because our children have grown. Oh, it changes, it changes radically, but it doesn't disappear.

Standing up for the Lord also keeps us busy. This applies to us all, married or single. Each of us must treasure the Divine Presence within us. If you're single: your lives should reflect your active Christianity. The Church depends on you, our committed singles, to be generous with your time.

For those of you who are married: a successful marriage takes work, hard work - but it's the work of the Lord when it involves His sacrificial Love. It is not easy to express love as the Lord created Love, as an act of giving, especially when we live in a culture that says love is a way of taking satisfaction from someone else. 

Yes, our culture has degraded marriage to the point that its success is measured in proportion to the satisfaction generated by all sorts of things from pharmaceuticals to who knows what...Married Christians can withstand this exploitation of their sacrament by seeking ever new ways to give themselves to their spouses in loving, selfless care and concern. 

Once again, you have to be busy to make a marriage a Christian marriage. Of course, in this parish most of us have been married for many years, and our children have long since left the nest. Alleluia, Alleluia. 

But As Christians we're still called to make the love of Christ real in other people. We must still reach out with the love of Jesus Christ - to our neighbors, to our friends, even to those we meet in the check-out line at Publix - helping them realize they are loved, not just by you, but also by a God whose love knows no bounds.

How did Jesus put it in today's Gospel passage? Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival...And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants. Yes, brothers and sisters, the Lord is here, so it's not enough just to look busy. We have to be busy, living our Catholic Faith in the world...and we will be blessed.
But let's not forget, too, that the Lord also said:

"Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more" [Lk 12:48].

As Christians, we have been given a great deal - much of it on trust. Our gift of faith is a treasure for heaven, but we don't always cherish it as one. Indeed, our lives, our gifts, our families -- are all treasures; but, again, we don't always give them the respect and love they deserve. 

One day, we'll be called to account for how we have used God's gifts to help others. This can be a frightening prospect, for who among us can be confident that they have done all God has asked of them? But we can't allow fear or anxiety to lead us to despair. For Jesus also refers to the treasures in heaven that await us. And I expect that, alongside the accounting and judgment, there will also be other questions:

"Did you enjoy all that you were given? Did you make time for all the good things God wanted you to experience? Did you take it for granted? Did you share the good things I gave you on trust with others so that they could enjoy them too?"

We have all been entrusted with much, and some of us with even more, and so let's trust in the Lord and keep busy doing His work in the world. 

And as He promised, He will respond to our determination to live our faith by caring for us.

Happy SAINT Valentine Day

Poor St. Valentine. His feast day has been overrun by a constant stream of commercialism and syrupy sentimentalism that seems to flow more quickly and more deeply with each passing year. For decades candy or flowers were the expected gifts a man gave to his sweetheart, but now expectations have apparently become inflated. Today jewelers warn of catastrophic rejection if the object of one's affection isn't showered with diamonds. One cruise line sent me a slick brochure demanding that I book a week-long Caribbean cruise. Failure to do so would shatter my relationship with my "significant other." And a local car dealership, while reminding its customers that "love is priceless," encouraged them to buy their lover a $40,000 vehicle. It's all quite strange. And I find it somewhat incongruous that in these times of supposed sexual equality, almost all the ads are aimed at men. Are there no feminists on Madison Avenue? 

Thankfully Dear Diane and I have never celebrated this pseudo-holiday except to honor the saint whose name it bears. This morning we greeted each other with a kiss and words of love, the same kiss and words with which we begin every morning. I did, however, add a little something extra today. When I awakened her this morning I handed her a cup of freshly brewed hot coffee in my favorite mug. Now this might seem less than trivial, but Diane truly admires this mug. It's really quite a handsome mug, and she bought it for me on a recent visit to Nantucket. 

Those who know me well also know that I have a rather large collection of coffee mugs, acquired on my travels over the years. To elevate a particular mug to "favorite" status is not something I do capriciously. The mug must earn this label. Size, shape, color, graphics, origin, even the "feel" of the mug -- these and other attributes enter into the mix that ultimately enshrine a mug as most favored. Until it is supplanted by another, the Nantucket mug reigns supreme.

Because of this Dear Diane has refused to drink from this particular mug, fearing she might drop and break it. As I handed it to her this morning I told her not to worry, that I would rather have a broken mug than a broken heart. It's her presence in my life that keeps my heart whole and happy. This so pleased her that she allowed me to vacuum the living and dining rooms and set up the card table in anticipation of the arrival of her friends who are now here playing mahjong.

St. Valentine

Yes, poor St. Valentine -- well, not really "poor" since he is, after all, a saint enjoying the riches of his heavenly home. But I suspect that fewer than one in a ten of those who bought gifts for their lovers today know anything at all about this 3rd-century Roman saint. Martyred under Emperor Claudius II in the year 269, this priest and bishop was accused of encouraging young Christian couples to marry, contrary to an edict by the government. His martyrdom was brutal, a three-part torture that included beating, stoning and decapitation. 

The patron saint of lovers, St. Valentine knew full well that a loving life-long commitment to another involved both joy and suffering, a pairing many today cannot accept. Married life isn't always candy and flowers; sometimes it's broken coffee mugs and vacuuming and card tables. And sometimes it's worrying about paying the mortgage, or struggling to help a troubled child, or confronting unexpected unemployment, or coping with the reality that the one you've loved for a lifetime no longer recognizes you, or dealing with a serious illness that threatens the other's life. Love and marriage are a wonderful gift from our God, but they demand the radical humility of self-sacrifice -- and this, too, is a gift. 

Take a few minutes today to pray together with the one you love and give thanks to God for each other.

Happy St. Valentine Day!

Aniversary Thoughts

Newly Married - Swords Held High

Today is our anniversary! Dear Diane and I married 48 years ago on November 2, 1968. You should not read anything into the fact that it was also All Souls Day, the day we are called to remember all the faithful departed. We didn't want to be married on All Souls Day, but the decision was based on my schedule at the time. I was in the final week of flight training and would be leaving Pensacola only a few days later. It was the only available Saturday. As I recall, Fr. Ryan, the Catholic Chaplain at NAS Pensacola, got a special dispensation to celebrate a marriage on that day. 

Remember the black vestments priests wore on All Souls Day and at funerals? Very somber stuff. Indeed, among liturgists there is still an ongoing discussion about the use of black or white vestments on such occasions. But because we were married outside of Mass, Fr. Ryan just wore a cassock and fancy surplice and stole. We had decided not to have a Nuptial Mass since only my parents, a few friends, and Diane and I were Catholic. Almost everybody else who attended -- and it was a good crowd -- were Southern Baptists.

The Wedding Party and Fr, Ryan

Our schedule today has once again made celebration a bit inconvenient. We decided, therefore, to celebrate tomorrow evening, after our day at the Wildwood Soup Kitchen. We'll go out to dinner at a local restaurant and enjoy a nice meal...I hope. Yep, it's hard to celebrate when life keeps getting in the way.

Now...on to the elections.

Because I cannot imagine Hillary Clinton as our president -- indeed, it's been difficult enough suffering through the past eight years in which the culture of death was so overtly manifested -- I will vote for Donald Trump. I harbor no illusions about the man. And should he be elected I expect he will be differ little from the Republicans who preceded him in the office. They all sounded strongly pro-life, and yet none of them ever did anything substantial to save the lives of the more than 50 million American innocents who have been slaughtered by abortion. Yes, I will "put no trust in princes, in the children of Adam powerless to save..." [Ps 146:3], but will put my trust only in our loving, saving God. 

Donald Trump may have many of us guessing about his true beliefs, but we don't have to guess about Hillary Clinton; we know what she thinks about the unborn: they are simply fodder for the Planned Parenthood killing machine. And anyone who votes for her is simply an accessory to the slaughter she supports.

I can understand those who have decided not to vote for either Clinton or Trump, or who will cast their vote for a third party candidate. I don't agree with such decisions because they only increase Hillary's chances, but I understand the supposed moral dilemma. It's important, however, to realize that all people -- and politicians and politician wannabes are no exceptions -- are sinners. We are all fallible. And so every election involves a choice between the imperfect and the imperfect. All we can do is set aside such inconsequential indicators as personality and race and sex and choose the person who more closely mirrors Christ's teachings and the values we hold dear.

I was also greatly disappointed yesterday when George P. Bush -- Jeb's son and George W.'s nephew -- "speculated" that his uncle would probably join his grandfather, George H. W. Bush, in voting for Hillary Clinton. It's hard to imagine the two Bush presidents voting for this woman, but their personal dislike of Donald Trump seemingly outweighs their love of country and their sense of morality. And make no mistake, everyone's choice in this election is a moral choice. The former presidents' decisions also lead one to believe that their purported pro-life views were really not so strongly held, but were simply a sham, a means to election and re-election. It will be very hard for me ever again to take them seriously. It pains me -- not to admit I was wrong about them, for I'm wrong more often than I'm right -- no, it pains me that these men would vote for Mrs. Clinton. Let's hope that nephew and grandson George is mistaken and the former presidents will let the nation know this.

Isn't it remarkable, though, how this election has made so many of our political and societal elites completely transparent. Not only have we learned much about them via their emails, and tweets, and Facebook rants, but in their anger and their panic they have repeatedly let down their guard and shown us who they really are and what they think of the American people.

Ah, well, I will be glad when November 9th rolls around and the election is behind us. I'm tired of the political ads, the know-nothing talking heads, the polls, the irritating phone calls, and I'm especially tired of the politicians.

Thank God for God. Only He can take the evil we do and bring good out of it. Go ahead and vote, but then get on your knees and ask God to help this nation, to bring it back to Him.

Thoughts on Returning Home

Amari, the Bride

Well, Diane and I are home once again, after another three-week absence. This time we drove to Massachusetts for the wedding of our youngest, Brendan, who married the beautiful Amari on October 1 on Nantucket Island.

We avoided the unfriendly skies and drove, largely because I simply enjoy driving. Not only do we experience the country up close but we also avoid the minor terrors associated with airports and TSA. Driving for me has become a quiet form of protest, one I will be forced to set aside when we take our next overseas trip, unless we discover an affordable way to travel by sea. One hopes that these rather mild public criticisms will not by captured by an NSA supercomputer thus elevating me to a category of traveler routinely subjected to strip searches and cavity inspections.

While in Massachusetts we visited each of our four grown children and their spouses...and our eight absolutely wonderful grandchildren. Since our children live in four different parts of the state, we divided our time among them all, and ended up spending about four days with each family. We enjoyed these brief visits immensely and were pleased that the grandchildren hadn't forgotten us since our previous trip in May. Living here in Florida, nearly 1,500 miles from our grandchildren, generates a fear that the little ones will glance at me as I walk through the front door, turn to their mother and say, "Who's the old guy?" Well, so far so good, although one-year-old Ben took a little while to warm up to us.

Grandchildren: Pedro, Camilla, Carlos, Eduardo, Ezekiel, Phineas, Verionica, Benedito

The wedding of Amari and Brendan was beautiful and the unpredictable Nantucket weather cooperated and gave us a warm, sparkling day, the kind of day one hopes for when visiting New England in the autumn months.

Our four children: Siobhan, Brendan, Erin, Ethan

Later, at the celebratory party after the wedding, I sat in a chair sipping a glass of rather good, but unnamed, Cabernet. I took real pleasure watching our four children enjoying the day as they talked and laughed with each other and caught up on family things.

As parents of grown children we often forget the good that we did as we struggled to raise our children, recalling only the mistakes we made. I've decided to forget those as well because I can no longer do anything about them. About all I can do now is offer quiet advice when it's asked for, pray that their marriages and children will bring them some of the same happiness and joy Diane and I have experienced, and turn everything else over to our merciful, loving God.

Our very 1950s family. That's me on the left.

Happy in the presence of my children, I found my thoughts drifting back to my parents and my only sibling, my brother, Jeff. It's at times like these that I miss them the most. My mother died over 30 years ago, my father died in 2005 at the age of 95, and Jeff died suddenly two years ago at 68. Thinking about them all I suddenly realized, Hey, that leaves only me. I'm now the family patriarch. There's no one else to pick up the patriarchal mantle and offer wise advice based on a lifetime of lessons learned. I suppose being the family patriarch would have far greater meaning if the later generations actually paid any attention to what I said. Yes, it would seem being the patriarch is a distinction that means little more than quite likely being the next male in the family to die. Happy thought.

But that's okay. There's an old Irish blessing: May you live to see your children's children. It would seem the Irish borrowed it from the Jews (Psalm 128:6). And that, too, is okay, since the Irish and the Jews are very much alike in so many ways. If a psalmist hadn't written it, no doubt some Irish poet would have. Anyway, I always thought it a rather strange blessing. After all, don't most people live to see their grandchildren? But then I thought about my own family. My mother's parents died long before I was born, so I knew only two of my grandparents. My paternal grandfather died when I was just five years old and I have only vague memories of visiting him at a VA hospital in Connecticut. He was a veteran of the Spanish-American War and the Boxer Rebellion, and I can still picture him, sitting in a wooden rocker and wearing a plaid bathrobe over his pajamas. He looked so very ill, but as he noticed his two grandsons walking through the doorway, his face brightened into a wide smile. What a perfect memory! It is how I shall always remember him.

My grandmother was really the only grandparent I knew well, and because she lived with us for several years, I have many fond memories of her. She died when I was 15. And so I really knew only one of my grandparents well. I suppose, then, compared to many of my recent ancestors, I am truly blessed.

Earlier this afternoon Diane and I completed a nice 20-minute Skype video call with our elder daughter, Erin, and her five children. Watching the four eldest -- ages four to ten -- crowd together to get into the picture and tell us about their day and what costumes they hope to wear on Halloween was a true joy. Technology can be both curse and blessing, but in this instance it's certainly the latter. One cannot even imagine how our grandchildren will communicate with their grandchildren 50 years from now.

Family is a great consolation and now that I'm an orphan at age 67 I can't imagine what life would be like if I had no children, no grandchildren, no family.

Rules for Young People Considering Marriage

Dr. Anthony Esolen, a Professor of Renaissance English Literature at Providence College, is a true renaissance man. His translations of Dante -- Inferno, Paradise and Purgatory -- are among the best in a very crowded field. He's a senior editor at Touchstone, a wonderful publication that I regularly recommend to Christians of all denominational stripes. He's also the author of a number of books that populate my humble home library, including, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization and Ironies of Faith.

I had a few conversations with Dr. Esolen years ago when I worked for Providence College and was trying to get a corporate training center up and running. As I recall he was a newly arrived English professor. I remember thinking, Now here's a very bright and likable young man, a man of strong faith and common sense. I had no doubt that he would go on to good things as he made his mark in the academic world. Since then he's done all this and more because, unlike many very intelligent folks, he also writes extremely well, and has a robust sense of humor.

I recently came across something he wrote back in 2008 that deserves much wider distribution, especially to young people who are considering marriage. He calls them "Esolen's Rules." Devised by him and his wife, they are aimed at helping people decide whom they should (and should not) marry. I'll include just a few here, but I suggest you go directly to the source and read them all...

1. Don't marry a woman who likes cats but does not like dogs.  You may marry a woman who doesn't like either, or whose reason for not liking dogs is that one of them bit her when she was a toddler.  But a woman who likes cats but does not like dogs will be a Joan Crawford or Jane Wyman.  Ronald Reagan married Jane Wyman, and look how sorry he was about that.
2. Don't marry a man who is neater than you are.  You may, however, marry a man who polishes his tools and puts them away after use....
3. Don't marry anybody, man or woman, who says, "I'm going to call you at eight," and then leaves you waiting by the phone for an hour.  Exceptions can be made for people who are kidnapped by Arabs, or who have epileptic seizures.
4. Don't marry anybody who insists on a separate bank account, bed, bathroom, vacation, or zip code.  It makes no sense to be one flesh and two wallets.
5. Don't marry a woman who spends more on makeup than she does on food.  In general, don't marry a woman who engages in the sin of reverse gluttony.

Click here to read the rest: Esolen's Rules. There are 15 more.

Oh, yes, his latest book, Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child, has received wonderful reviews from people I trust who recommend it highly for parents.

Some Other New U.S. Bishops' Websites

Every week or so I try to take a few moments to browse the primary website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) not only to keep informed about our bishops' activities and pastoral teachings, but also to check out any new initiatives. One thing that's been evident in recent years is the USCCB's increased and accelerated use of the Internet. This, of course, is in keeping with the urgings of the Holy Father to make use of all forms modern technology in support of the Church's primary mission of evangelization. Today, during my visit to their site, I noticed that the bishops (and their team of web geeks) have been particularly busy in this area, developing several new websites that are certainly worth mentioning.

Campus Ministry: Developed by the bishops' Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development, this new website is aimed at college students and campus ministers and has the specific goal of promoting Catholic social teaching on campus. After browsing the site briefly, I suspect the materials would also be applicable for use by a parish's adult education efforts and even for older high school students. It contain lots of excellent resources. The site may be found at: www.usccb.org/campus.

Vocations: The U.S. Bishops’ Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations initiated a new website on April 25 as a resource for the promotion of vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life. Long overdue and aimed at both laity and clergy, the new site has two key goals:

1. To help individuals hear and respond to the call by God to the priesthood or consecrated life; and 
2. To educate all Catholics on the importance of encouraging others through prayer and activities to promote vocations. 

The site can be found at: www.ForYourVocation.org. Later this year -- probably in the fall -- a Spanish-language version of the site will be available at: www.PorTuVocacion.org.

While I haven't yet had time to do more than glance at the site, the bishops' press release claims the "Site elements include discernment resources for men and women, respectively, aids for promoting a vocation culture within the home, and a range of tools for educators, youth leaders and vocation directors including prayers, videos, best practices, lesson plans and vocation awareness programs."

It sounds like a wonderful site, especially for Catholic schools, youth programs, and other parish-based ministries that support vocations.

Marriage. While this website (For Your Marriage) has been around for a while, it has recently undergone some major changes. Not only has it been given a face-lift, with a whole new "look and feel," but it's content has also been greatly expanded. This is a wonderful site designed to support the U.S. bishops goal of strengthening marriage. Since it was first launched in 2007, it has attracted over 850,000 visitors (a lot more than this blog gets), an excellent indication of the quality of the resources it provides.

According the the bishops' press release, the revised site includes the following new features:

• Daily inspirational quotes about marriage drawn from Church documents
• A blog by Portland, Oregon, couple Josh and Stacey Noem. The Noems, who are campus ministers at the University of Portland, discuss balancing home and work and handing on the Catholic faith to their three small children. The widely-read “Sarah’s Blog” will continue as Sarah and her husband prepare for the birth of their first child.
• The Marital Virtue of the Month reflects on a particular virtue that is necessary for a holy and happy marriage.

The site is available at: www.foryourmarriage.org. And earlier this year the bishops launched a Spanish-language version of the site: www.portumatrimonio.org.

USCCB Priorities. Back in my consulting days, I made a point of telling CEOs that the folks they manage really do want to know the boss' priorities. I was always amazed at how many managers kept their true  priorities secret, as if sharing them would somehow diminish their power or authority. Fortunately, the U.S. bishops are very willing to share their priorities with their flock. Indeed, they have created a website that does just that: http://www.usccb.org/priorities/.


The site not only lists their five key priorities:

• Strengthening marriage
• Faith formation focused on sacramental practice
• Priestly and religious vocations
• Life and dignity of the human person
• Recognition of cultural diversity

...but also includes a discussion of the goals and objectives necessary to support these priorities, a timeline that addresses specific initiatives under each priority, and a video that provides a good overview.

And so...it's evident that our bishops are making all kinds of good information and useful resources available to us through the medium of the Internet. Take advantage of it and do your part in carrying out our Lord's command to proclaim, "The Kingdom of heaven is at hand."

God's peace...