Columns

Corpus Christi and Catholic identity

Corpus Christi — or the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ — evokes memories of great joy and pride in Catholic identity for those of us, particularly Americans blessed with strong ethnic traditions.
Re-membering

At Mass, we remember and re-member, recalling who we are and why we are, to become more ourselves.
Sacramental healing

As one sad narrative unfolds, with rash shootings shattering recovering cityscapes, other kinds of lockdown loom, more stifling than those which pandemic fears fueled.
One God, one people

Though we may pride our nation for its foundational principles of equality among all human beings and a mutual respect for and among all persons so implied — at least in theory — practice and experience show this challenging to achieve.
Scales of vision

Seeing is believing, it is said. We tend naturally to trust and value more what we can perceive personally with our own five senses. Rather than rely on someone else’s perception, on mere hearsay, we want to be the judge of what is or is not real.
Family healing

May is the month of Mary. Mary is the Mother of God — of Jesus, the Church and our Mother. This intimate, family mystery of God’s presence in the heart of Mary flows from the total adherence of our Mother to the loving will of God.
And lead us not into … WHAT?

“And lead us not into temptation ...” This vexing phrase from the Lord’s Prayer — the “Our Father” — is, for many, something of a stumbling block.
Trust

Those Jerusalem Christians in early Acts, what was it that was so vibrant and attractive about them?
Divine Mercy evangelizes the heart

If someone were to ask me, what is the Divine Mercy all about, I would start by saying it is all about evangelization — or, as I like to call, “gospel-ing.” It’s about spreading the Good News effectively.
It has to be love

In Judaism, I am told, there is an adage: death ends a life, but it doesn’t end a relationship.
Mercy killings

Every parent knows the anguish of watching a child suffer, feeling helpless except to hope in and pray to God, and the people offering care and assistance.
Practicing heaven

The United States Conference of Catholics Bishops (USCCB) is calling for a Eucharistic Revival.
Fear less, love more

One of my fondest memories was the celebration of my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary.
For the love of sisters

Talk to any Catholic. Everyone has a sister story, often profoundly affecting their life.
Reaching across the aisle

“Why can’t we all just get along?” Who has not asked this seemingly simple question when fed up with all the violence, hate and chaos that the world fulminates with if one only relies on the bad news served by most media most of the time
The dogginess of God

I had been well warned. Yes. About the new dog. For weeks before my visit to my good friends in Florida, I had been sent enchanting photos of the progress of Duke, an uncommonly precocious, but very German Shepherd.
Surprised by Lent

Didn’t we just do Lent? If you were thinking this as we approach the pause in “Ordinary Time” with Ash Wednesday next week, Feb. 17, you are not alone.
You are the evangelist!

Am I good news or bad news? To be or not to be the Good News. That is the question! A question I have to ask myself every day. It’s an identity thing
Touched by love

Last week I had the pleasure of leading a group of Navy chaplains in their annual retreat. I also shared with you, in last week’s column, some reflections on memories from my father’s life.
‘I pray’

What does a father do all day long? Especially when he can no longer walk, or talk, or even take care of his own bodily needs.
Finding our heart in His

Survivor friends of mine who have sought counseling over the years in their lifelong journey of recovery and healing from clergy abuse tell of how some therapists resist their attempts to grow spiritually on their own faith terms.
Questions from God

Isn’t it strange? In a world where instant communication is possible for virtually (pun intended) anyone with a device, we are becoming less certain that anything we see is true. If we ask a question will we get a straight answer?
Christmas through the eyes of children

Christmas, in the eyes of a child, is totally serious. That’s exactly why Christmas is an invitation to have fun.
The loneliness of God

Attributing human emotions to God — such as rage, jealousy or loneliness — is always metaphorical. The scriptures are rife with anthropomorphic devices depicting both God’s kindness and anger. Poets often take great license with this.
Coming to our senses

I have in mind the classic 1951 movie version of the novelette, with Alistair Sim as Scrooge. Many of us will no doubt remember and revisit this version as the Christmas season approaches.
The shunning of God

Thanksgiving, and “the Holidays” in general, are going to be quite a challenge to manage in this year of a “Great Pandemic,” already set to eclipse in impact and importance any eventual “Person of the Year” that Time may designate, if not the virus itself. COVID-19 looms over “the Holidays” as a lightning rod, threatening to sop up all the energy traditionally devoted at this time to the festivities of eating, drinking, decorating and merrymaking with friends and family.
Who is worthy?

Who is worthy of Jesus Christ? Who is worthy to receive him in Holy Communion?
Always with us

In these Covid times, plans and projects are being upended, or at least postponed. So many of us are in a bit of process overload so “deadlines” have to be extended.
Playing politics

Throughout his life Jesus was embroiled in political controversy. No sooner was he born when Herod, a routine menace of a petty local tyrant, wanted him eliminated as a threat to his authority, based on prophetic messages he had received from his experts and the visit of the Magi.
Accompanying our priests

I can only imagine — though I prefer not to — how dispiriting it must be to many of the faithful to read about the scandalous behavior of some priest whom they have known and loved.
The violence at home

Domestic violence has long been a festering wound in the fabric of our society. All the more scandalous, it infects the Body of Christ!
The power of the Rosary

On October 7, we celebrate the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. This title attributed to Mary has been traced to an apparition held by pious tradition to have occurred to St. Dominic in 1214. In the 16th century, Pope Pius V placed the feast of Our Lady of Victory on October 7 in the General Roman Calendar, associating it with the Rosary, for which we honor Mary today.
I used to think ...

One of the greatest anxieties of aging folk is the thought that maybe something I was doing or something I thought was right was really all wrong.
A time to reach out

It may seem counterintuitive to suggest that now is a time for reaching out. Just when it seems that the COVID-19 threat is diminishing somewhat, at least in New York State, why take chances?
Calling sinners in

“Wait till your father (mother) comes home…” It’s an age-old parental “cop-out.” Tell the kids to stop it, of course. But then wait for the “cop” to arrive and enforce the law.
Which Jesus?

Peter had just hit a grand slam. Jumping right up to the plate when Jesus asked his team to give their best shot on what they thought of him, who he really was, in spite of the local gossip, Peter made his famous declaration that Jesus was “the Messiah, the son of the living God” (Mt 16:16).
The real deal

What ails you? I thought I would get right to the point. Something is probably bothering you, isn’t it? Please forgive me for being so bold, but don’t you get tired of how typical greetings begin: “How are you?” “I’m fine.” It’s sad to have to begin a conversation with a lie. What if you were really able to tell the truth? “How are you?” “I am not so well, and this is what is really on my mind ...”
Prayer isn’t everything

“Who is going to save our Church? Not our bishops, not our priests and religious. It is up to you, the people. You have the minds, the eyes, and the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops act like bishops, and your religious act like religious.”
The sense of our faith

Lies! No one likes being lied to — except if it is to confirm one’s own chosen self-deception.
Fear not
The other side

Years ago, probably decades by now, I remember reading a story of how an old bottle was found, washed up on a beach somewhere, containing the proverbial message from “the other side.”
Dialogue or tyranny

Journalists and chronologists seem to take a special pride in characterizing and pronouncing judgment on the Zeitgeist or spirit of different historical periods. Terms like the “Dark Ages” or the “Age of Reason” are familiar, not to mention the “Gay Nineties” and the “Roaring Twenties,” which today would carry very different connotations.
God friends us

Bad news, sad news, fake news … it’s all old news! And it’s been around for centuries. So many of the battles we are fighting now have been going on throughout the sordid history of a humanity repeating the sins of our ancestors.
Essential role of Church for a free society

If you follow my thoughts regularly, you will have noticed that I rarely mention the names of partisan political figures. I do not and will not tell anyone for whom to vote.
Things that are true

As I have just completed six years as Bishop of Albany (April 10) and near the 47th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood (July 2), I find myself overwhelmed with gratitude for the blessings in my life, the people God has sent his Holy Spirit into, “to teach and remind” me, which is what the Spirit does for all of us (Jn 14: 26), if we open our hearts in faith and trust.
Keep telling the good news

The title of this article may seem to beg the question: is there any good news to tell. Or, if there is good news, why is it so hard to find. Neither question is really relevant to the existence of good news. If it is there — and it most certainly is — then its existence cannot be denied just because it is not being told or because someone is not hearing it.
United in prayer

Throughout our beautiful state, people of faith are uniting this week in prayer. Chastened and humbled by graphic reminders of our spiritual, social and physical vulnerabilities and the evil of which human beings are capable, the best in us and among us — dare I suggest, the life that God has breathed into us — is alive as we come together to praise and give thanks to the God of life.
Keep the calm

“We got a panic on our hands on the Fourth of July.” No, this is not a prophecy or a warning from the CDC. No one, but no one, can predict the future. Jesus himself, when questioned about the last days, or even his own personal destiny, refused to reveal what only the heavenly Father knew. His whole life was only of complete trust in the will of God.
The holy coach

This week we commemorate the Ascension, when the post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus cease so that he may become more immediately present to all who wish to receive him into their hearts. He has prepared his disciples by promising them another “advocate” — he is the first — which they will learn is the Holy Spirit.
For God, no one is non-essential

“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,” wrote poet Robert Frost of non-essential boundaries that neighbors maintain to reassure themselves of the lines that keep them safe from one another. His poem, “Mending Wall,” is a reflection on a springtime ritual whose meaning and utility he begs to question even as he admits that winter rituals — hunters’ romps for one — have left gaps.
Mary’s month — our month

She does everything for her family. The sacrifice a mother will make for her child knows no bounds.
Love finds a way

Could it be that the more we feel separated from God, the closer God is drawing to us?
To tell the truth

Just when things are going well, catastrophe strikes, and suddenly everything seems to collapse. Conversely, when our world seems to be falling apart, it may only be beginning. To tell the truth, things are not always as they first seem.
An Easter story

The Holy Spirit is on a roll! An out-of-state friend of mine — a tuition-paying parent whose three children attend Catholic schools — texted me that his young daughter is “having a meeting with her classmates in our living room.” This sentence struck me because it’s packed.
God never gives up on us

Like never before, the whole world is united, at war with a common enemy.
Comfort food, spiritual and physical

Yes, this is serious. Yes, it is deadly for some. No, we should not go out and about as usual, and congregate in groups of more than 10. Follow all the state (and, mostly, common sense) imposed regulations. Etc. Etc.
PASTORAL LETTER FROM THE BISHOP

With those struggling with coronavirus fears, Bishop Scharfenberger offers reassurance that ‘God is with us.’
Loving our families through pain

Are you afraid? Maybe not for yourself, but with so much uncertainty in the world today — even about what is real and not real — how can we keep our families safe without terrifying them? With the specter of Covid-19 — the dreaded Coronavirus — said to be all around us, as much harm, potentially, could come from panic in the face of fear than from the ravishes of the disease itself.
Walking Lent together

Suffering can be a lonely journey. Nothing can isolate us more than illness or disability. Even surrounded by well-intentioned caregivers, the patient or anyone being “treated” can feel more like an object poked and prodded. Worst of all is the sense of confinement, whether due to being bound to a bed, a chair or a tube, or just waiting for an authority to tell you that you can be “discharged” or, even less personally, to sign a “release.”
A passion for holiness

Something I have only recently become more aware of is how our sacramental rituals contain numerous prayers and litanies for deliverance from sin and the evil influences.
Speaking of God

When Jesus says something, you can take it to the bank! Of course, you understand, that’s a metaphor, a figure of speech that is not to be taken literally, but is meant to communicate something true. In this case, the image is quite close to the reality.
Real life is sacramental

Have you ever noticed that every Sacrament involves a touch? One of the signs that a person is even alive is the ability to feel something — to respond to an aural or visual stimulus, for example.
The poverty of wealth

There is too much truth, goodness and beauty in the world to ignore it. But every day we do. Why? Obviously, no one wants to be miserable. No one wants to see ugliness, sin and decay. It is uncomfortable to look at and brings us much pain and grief, even as we want to extend our compassion to those who are suffering. The word compassion itself conveys the beauty of how pain, shared personally among companions, somehow eases the burden on everyone.
To God, Who gives joy to my youth

Among my happiest memories are grammar school years in Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal parish in Ridgewood (Queens). Church, school, home and play — the people they included — were somehow all related. TV (black and white) and music (45 rpms), picnics and sports were all in the mix, but not allowed to supplant Mass or family meals.
Do not be afraid to answer

One of the first casualties that beset Adam and Eve after the fall was their fear of being summoned by God’s voice.
Every day a new year

“Just” is one of the most damning words.
The Light that dawns in the dark

The mad rush to Christmas is over. Time to give yourself permission to forget the cards never sent, the present to be exchanged, the unreturned text, the engagement that did not happen. If only for a day. All will be well. It’s okay to relax and rejoice. But why should it be just for a day?
Why can’t every day be Christmas?

While the historical question about the actual birthdate of Christ remains unresolved, some have been intrigued by the coincidence (or perhaps not?) of that date with the arrival of the winter solstice, the time when sunlight begins to increase perceptibly.
The family down the block

My family just got bigger. A call from the Papal Nuncio a few weeks ago confirmed that Pope Francis has sent me to help our family down the block in Buffalo until the Holy See appoints a successor to Bishop Richard Malone, who stepped down on Dec. 4.
The child in all of us

Confirmations inspire me. That’s what they are supposed to do, of course, for all who attend: candidates, congregation and celebrants. After all, they are all about the coming of the Holy Spirit — God’s Advent — into our lives and all of the gifts God is just longing to pour into our hearts.
Four steps to finding the treasure of Advent

Finding the treasure of Advent is the key to getting into the Christmas spirit. With Advent starting this Sunday, claiming the time to accept its graces will deepen both the joy and peace Christmas promises.
MY MEETING WITH POPE FRANCIS

Bishop Scharfenberger takes you inside his 'ad limina' meeting with the Holy See.
Resisting evil

Have you noticed it’s not a perfect world yet? Does the prevalence of so much that is not right stir you to want to do something about it, or have you found yourself just getting tired or even depressed, wondering if anything can be done?
Divining the occult

Halloween has had its run. Best to let go. Yet ghouls and goblins — ghosts from the past? — may still haunt the memories of those spooked by ugly graphic images, whether invoked, imposed or imagined. But remember, if beauty, as is often said, is only skin deep, so also is ugliness as much in the eyes of the beholder.
God or garbage: The things we put God through

Are you ready for grace, for God’s favors? Are you prepared to grow spiritually, for your heart to be stretched?
Home mission

Mom was right. Charity begins at home. Such sound advice that we grew up with is something that can continue to inspire and motivate us as we seek practical ways to raise our children well in the light of our Gospel mission
Impelled to be missionaries

Did you know that St. Térèse de Lisieux — the Little Flower — dreamed of being a missionary? She had the true evangelical spirit: the love-drive. It was love that impelled her
Chaos of me

Habits can make life easier. They can also drive us crazy. A good habit, freely chosen, can become a virtue, as when one decides to develop an attitude of gratitude — to God and others — and practices it to the point of it becoming a mark of one’s identity: that is, a grateful person, or a kind or a gentle or a compassionate one, as the case may be. Good habits free us to be who we are called by grace to be.
What will next year be like: Too early to pray?

My basil plants have not yet gone to bud. Not a snowflake in sight. And first frost is still well beyond the meteorological horizon. It’s the 24th week in Ordinary Time and, though September is half over, I like to think of this as the 7th week of August with some summery days still ahead of us.
Searching for a spiritual home

No generation perhaps has been more unkindly stereotyped than the so-called millennials, the “Gen Y” demographic cohort — born roughly between the early 1980s and just after the year 2000 — that writers, researchers and certain self-appointed savants generically disparage as self-centered, lazy and entitled.
Justice restored

The best intentions behind the Child Victims Act (CVA) are to offer survivors of child sexual abuse a chance to tell their story and a measure of justice long overdue. Hoping to find healing — and with great courage — many are called to come forward, but few will be chosen.
Bishop Scharfenberger’s letter to the faithful during this challenging time in our Church
Something you can try at home

It is impossible to be grateful and unhappy at the same time! I hesitated to begin with this assertion because my purpose is not to make anyone angry. On the contrary, my hope and prayer is to bring at least a brief oasis of peace into an atmosphere that seems so full of confusion and anger these days.
Fearless faith

As a young priest in the Diocese of Brooklyn, I was told of a remarkable story of contemporary martyrdom, the kind to which many of us are called to today.
Our common mission

Sin hurts. Our mission together as disciples of Jesus Christ is the salvation of every human person from our sins and doing that justice which brings mercy and healing to all wounded by sin.
It’s more than the chicken soup

How do you please a guest? The Martha in me, and no doubt many of us, usually goes immediately to the tangible.
Even “nones” are called by name

The struggles and faith journey of Kateri Tekakwitha (pronounced ‘gaderi dega‘gwita) are quite relevant to the experience of many today, especially our young people.
Kateri: Our first “millennial” saint?

Much as I eschew the assignment of labels by psycho-social theorists to entire swaths of people, the title “millennial” seems particularly appropriate as a way to approach an understanding of St. Kateri Tekakwitha's journey of faith.
Holiness in the service of justice

It is not enough just to DO good. We are called to BE good, to become the very righteousness of God (cf. 2 Cor 5:21)!
Growing our gardens of faith

Agricultural metaphors abound in the Bible. Among the parables of Jesus, farmers figure prominently. Mary Magdalene even mistook Jesus for the gardener as she wept at the empty tomb on Easter Sunday (Jn 28:15).
The wounded heart of Mercy

Our faith is a friendship offered to us from the heart of God, who is the Holy Spirit. It comes from Love and for Love.
A time to choose