“Whenever I groan within myself and think how hard it is to keep writing about love in these times of tension and strife which may at any moment become for us all a time of terror, I think to myself, "What else is the world interested in?" What else do we all want, each one of us, except to love and be loved, in our families, in our work, in all our relationships. God is Love. Love casts out fear. Even the most ardent revolutionist, seeking to change the world, to overturn the tables of the money changers, is trying to make a world where it is easier for people to love, to stand in that relationship with each other of love. We want with all our hearts to love, to be loved. And not just in the family but to look upon all as our mothers, sisters, brothers, children. It is when we love the most intensely and most humanly, that we can recognize how tepid is our love for others. The keenness and intensity of love brings with it suffering, of course, but joy too because it is a f

  Blessed be God who animates our lives and calls us to be authoritative and authentic blessings in the world. AMEN On the day of my ordination to the priesthood, I thought I knew what was supposed to happen; I thought I knew what this day was about; I thought I knew just how things should go. I thought I knew what I would feel.   But once again I was to learn lessons about shoulds and supposed to’s. I was to notice something about true authority, the grace filled creative kind, as opposed to dictated authority, the kind we humans impose. I was to know a new feeling, a new power, a new holy wholeness… My ordination to the priesthood was spirit filled. I was overwhelmed with tears and deep joy as my cup was running over. And if you have ever experienced an ordination you may recall that one of the supreme privileges and authority bestowed upon the newly ordained priest is to offer sacred blessing to all who come forward. First my family and then a collection of that great cloud of witne