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Sunday, January 25, 2026

Following Christ

Matthew 4:12-23

This weekend was kind of a pile-up in terms of things going on at the parish level. As it has been for decades, this weekend was dedicated to pro-life activities, including the March for Life. In addition, was the kick-off of Catholic Schools week. And, not to be out done, we also had a focus on vocations. Frankly, the convergence of these attenuated all the messages. This is just an observation by a parish deacon.

In light of our Gospel reading from the fourth chapter of Matthew, a vocation message seems to flow pretty naturally. The word "immediately" as it applies to Simon and Andrew heeding Jesus' call to follow along with the words "at once" pertaining to James and John indicate something pretty powerful going on. After all, what might make these men abandon their livelihood and even their families to follow this new arrival in Capernaum?

This account of the Lord's calling men to be His closest followers is inspiring to hear and to read. But think about the response of these four men for just a moment. Without hesitation, they left everyone and everything and joined Jesus. They did so without asking even one question, like, "Where are we going?" I can't imagine such a response was any easier in first century Capernaum-by-the-sea than in, say, modern-day Ogden, Utah.

What this shows us is the uniquness of the call of Simon, Andrew, James, and John. We often seek to apply it broadly, that is, to everyone and anyone- because we are all called to follow Jesus. But the call of these brothers is a uniquely aposotolic calling, not merely a generic call to discipleship. The manner of the call conditions the response. In turn, the manner of the call flows from what the call is.

Isaiah's prophecy found in our first reading is applied by the inspired author of Matthew to Jesus in light His moving to Capernaum from Nazareth. Zebulun and Naphtali, talk about marginal Israeli tribes! Like Jesus coming from Nazareth, this light shining forth from the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali shows the ordinary-looking nature of the in-breaking of God's kingdom in the person of Jesus Christ, who is autobasileia - the kingdom in person.

In past years, one of my stock theological sayings was that during His life and ministry it wasn't intuitively obvious to the casual observer that this itinerant from Nazareth was the Son of God, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. Clearly, Simon, Andrew, James, and John saw something, experienced something, when the Lord called them as He passed by. It seems pretty evident from what follows that what they experienced in that moment was something they could not articulate.

It seems equally clear that at times these four didn't understand their calling and on several occasions even misundertood it. But Jesus' word was enough to provoke them to what could easily be seen as a not very responsible response. The radicality of their response is far too easy to gloss over and is unique to their call.

It's true, isn't it, that when you follow Christ, He doesn't lead you along a straight path? Didn't the Israelites takes forty years to reach the promised land? Did Simon, Andrew, James, and John see clearly where Jesus was going to lead them? We're back to Eugene Peterson's "long obedience in the same direction."

While the call can be intoxicating (it isn't always), it is always disruptive in some way. Why? Because, as the Lord's other call (to everyone) in today's Gospel beckons "Repent!" To repent is to change and then recognize your need to change even more. Heeding Christ's call leads you to the Cross and beyond- the path to destiny. But this journey, this pilgrimage, which requires companions (i.e., those who share bread), is what gives your life, everything in your life meaning. It is your purpose, your raison d'etre.

While there are different ways to do it, arising from baptism, there is only one vocation: Follow Christ.

Friday, January 23, 2026

Diaconate: My Adventure Continues

In addition to being the liturgical Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, bishop and Doctor of the Church, tomorrow is also the twenty-second anniversary of my ordination as a deacon. On Saturday, 24 January 2004, the then-Bishop of Salt Lake City (later Archbishop of San Francisco), George H. Niederauer conferred upon me by his apostolic authority the sacrament of orders. Along with my marriage, the birth of my six children, it is certainly one of the the top ten days of my life.

Bishop George Niederauer presenting me with the Evangeliary during ordination, 24 January 2004

While I've never attained the certainty about most things in life (an acute desire from my 20s thru my 40s), I'm very certain about Christ calling me to be a deacon. And, by virtue of His grace, I am a deacon. It is through the sacraments of matrimony and orders that Christ conforms me more and more to His image. While both are joyful vocations, neither is easy.

I spent the first eleven years of my diaconate serving at The Cathedral of the Madeleine. May will mark my eleventh year serving at Saint Olaf Parish in the town where I live. In terms of parish service, my diaconate has been pretty evenly divided between these two parishes. Even with the ups and downs of ministry, both have been wonderful places and communities to serve.

For the past nearly 6 years, in addition to my family, parish ministry, and a full-time job, I have served as the Director of the Office of the Diaconate for my diocese. In this role, I serve as something like "Vicar for Deacons" and I am also responsible for the formation of new deacons. Next month, for the first time, my diocese will have overlapping classes of men in diaconate formation.

Starting in mid-March, I will work for my diocese full-time. While still serving as Director of the Office of the Diaconate, I will also serve as the diocese's Government Liaison and as the bishop's Communication Director. Part of these responsibilities include things like being the diocese's Catholic Relief Services Coordinator and Chairing the Justice and Peace Commission. So, mystery resolved.

Needless to say, it's been an adventure thus far. I am excited to continue it. I am coming full-circle. Prior to embarking on the 29-year career from which I am retiring, I worked first for the diocese full-time and then for The Cathedral of the Madeleine under Msgr. M. Francis Mannion.

Anyway, that's all something for a Friday, even if it is a day early. Since I am teaching Deacon Candidates all day tomorrow and then serving at the Vigil Mass, there will be no chance on the anniversary to mark it here. I don't care that our traditio is a repeat. It is a 450 voice onine rendition of one of the most beautiful hymns: Salve Regina:

Monday, January 19, 2026

Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

Readings: 1 Samuel 15:16-23; Psalm 50:8-9.16-17.21.23; Mark 2:18-22

In His life and ministry, Jesus truly inaugurated something new. But this new thing is not completely untethered from what came before. It is an expansion, not a contraction.

What the Lord expands is God’s covenant. He expands it to include everyone who believes in Him as Savior and Lord. In a sense, God’s chosen people are those who choose God by choosing Christ.

As Christians, we certainly understand fasting to be one of the core spiritual disciplines taught to us by the Lord Himself. In context, why would His disciples fast while He, the Bridegroom, was among them? Christ’s presence is always a cause for rejoicing, even when it's experienced under horrible circumstances.

If obedience is better than sacrifice, then sacrificial obedience is better still. Liturgical rituals often become rote, something that is done more by sheer force of habit than a loving response to God’s grace.

It’s easy to be obedient when it doesn’t cost you anything or when it gains you something. When I was in high school, I figured out early on that if I came home from school on Friday and completed all my chores, seeking to make a really good job of it, when I asked my dad for $20 and to take the car, he was much more amenable to my request.

Too often, people see their relationship with God as transactional in just this way. But God is not transactional. Sure, bad choices usually result in bad consequences, but this is hardly God’s judgment. What about when, like Job, you do everything right and life still seems to conspire against you?

One scripture verse I have found personally informative, consoling, and useful over many years is from the book of the minor prophet Habakkuk:

For though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit appears on the vine, Though the yield of the olive fails and the terraces produce no nourishment, Though the flocks disappear from the fold and there is no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

This completely relates to what is new in Christ. It is the difference between being a Christian and being a pagan. It is not a Christian mindset to worship a temperamental god who punishes you when he's angry and rewards you when you're good. A god from whom you can get what you want if you say the magic words, perform the prescribed ritual, make the right offering.

Such a god is not a personal God, one who wants to be in a close relationship with you. Yes, God wants you to obey Him. But He wants you to do so not for fear of punishment but for love of Him. In our Psalm today, God asks: Do you think that I am like you? It’s a rhetorical question, or at least it should be. The one who “offers praise as a sacrifice,” says God, “glorifies me” (Psalm 50:21).

God is referring to the one who offers praise as a sacrifice always and everywhere, regardless of fortune or circumstance. This is what means to be obedient to God at its most fundamental. This is what it means to be upright and see the salvation of God.

What is the salvation of God? Well, it isn’t a what but a who: Jesus Christ. The reward for following Christ is Christ. He is the end for whom we strive and not a mere means to any other end.

Today our country observes a day in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is a day we recognize the importance of human rights. The very concept of human rights arises from the deeply Christian understanding that each person is an image-bearer of God.

Those who struggled long and hard for racial equality and succeeded did so non-violently. Non-violence requires much more courage than violence. Most of those who undertook this struggle were able to do so because of their deep faith in Christ. They were able to trust Him as they took the slings and arrows that came with their fight for justice. As the late John Lewis, a protégé of both Dr. King and Bobby Kennedy urged those who engage in action for justice:

Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won

God loves your enemy and so should you. Easier said than done!

In his Letter to the Ephesians, written as he made his way to Rome to be martyred, Saint Ignatius of Antioch insisted:

These are the beginning and the end of life: faith the beginning, love the end. When these two are found together, there is God, and everything else concerning right living follows from them

For those who are are now Candidates for full communion, let the joy of the Lord be your strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Learn God’s love poured out for you in the life, death, and resurrection of His Only Begotten Son. Open yourselves to the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. This will allow Christ to bring about something new in and through you.

John Robert Lewis on MLK Day

Sadly, this year Martin Luther King/Human Rights Day needs much more emphasis than any time in the recent past. Hence, I turn to one of my political heroes, John Lewis. In a 2018 interview with Vann R. Newkirk, II for the The Atlantic's issue on Dr. King commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of his assassination, Lewis humorously noted that Dr. King, from their first meeting, always called him "The boy from Troy." In this interview, Lewis spoke opening of Dr. King's influence on him.

Lewis, of course, went on to work for and closely w/ RFK (another of my political heroes) and then have his own distinguished political career. Referring to where his lifelong mission began, he remembered that "... in 1955, at 15 years old, I heard of Dr. King, and I heard of Rosa Parks. They inspired me to get in trouble." This what John Robert Lewis, elder statesman, would call "good trouble," which is not trouble for trouble's sake. Rather, it's standing up for what is right, good, and just in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. This what Fr Gutierrez dubbed has having hope.

In the photo, a young John Lewis is on the end of the row on the right

As a young man, Lewis was asked to speak during the March on Washington. Here's his account of preparing his speech:

Some people were concerned about what I had planned to say in my speech. I had a line in there saying something like, 'If we do not see meaningful progress here today, the day may come when we do not confine our march to Washington, but we may be forced to march through the South the way Sherman did, nonviolently.' Dr. King said to me, 'John, that doesn’t sound like you! Can you change that?' I couldn’t say no to Mr. A. Philip Randolph, who was the dean of black leadership. I couldn’t say no to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We made those changes, but my speech still came across okay

A true mentor does not tell you what to do. S/he simply always encourages you, urges you, and supports you in being the best version of yourself.

Lewis later wrote something that reflects his deep Christian faith:

Anchor the eternity of love in your own soul and embed this planet with goodness. Lean toward the whispers of your own heart, discover the universal truth, and follow its dictates. Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won

Making good trouble, which is always courageous and non-violent is needed now.

Sunday, January 18, 2026

Year A Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings: Isaiah 49:3.5-6; Psalm 40:2.4.7-10; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34

The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time falls a week after our observance of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which usually falls on the third Sunday after Christmas. It bears noting that the Church never celebrates a First Sunday in Ordinary Time. Each liturgical year, Ordinary Time begins on Monday or, in the United States, sometimes on Tuesday. Hence, the Second Sunday is the first observed Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Ordinary Time is not contrasted with “Extraordinary” Time. It refers to ordinal that, in turn, refers to a numbered sequence: first, second, third, etc. What is numbered are Sundays. As Christians, Mother Church teaches we are obligated to worship God together on Sundays and holy days, which we are to live like Sunday. This is one of the five precepts of the Church.¹

This year, the Church is in Year A of the Sunday Lectionary, which means that we primarily read through the Gospel According to Saint Matthew. Oddly enough, however, we begin Ordinary Time with a reading taken from the first chapter of Saint John’s Gospel.

What better way to begin than by recognizing Jesus, as John the Baptist did, as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world and “the Son of God”?² It’s easy to miss that each Gospel account of the Lord’s Baptism also includes an account of His confirmation. Confirmation, a sacrament closely related to baptism and can be said to make baptism more complete, is often not well-understood.

What is sacramentally confirmed is your baptismal identity as a child of the Father, through Jesus Christ, effected by the power of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is a high calling. Baptism, not the sacrament of orders, is the fundamental sacrament of the Christian life.

What is confirmed at His Baptism, is Jesus’ identity as the Only Begotten Son of the Father. He is the one on whom John saw the Spirit come down and upon whom the Spirit remained. There is no one like Jesus Christ. No one compares to Him.

In his timeless classic, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis observed that it only makes sense that Jesus told people that their sins were forgiven. . . “if He really was the God whose laws are broken and whose love is wounded in every sin.” Lewis went on to insist that he makes this point to prevent someone from saying something “really foolish,” like “’I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’”³

Lewis concludes this line of reasoning by asserting:

A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God⁴

Of course, in our Gospel today, it is the Baptist who identifies Jesus as Savior and divine Son of God. There is no better way to begin this, or any season, than by declaring Jesus as the Christ, our Lord and Savior. This is why, at its most fundamental, Christianity isn’t merely a moral code but a person.

It is through baptism and confirmation and ongoing participation in the Eucharist that, to quote Saint Paul from our reading from 1 Corinthians, you “have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy.”⁵ Our reading from Isaiah is taken to be about the revelation of God in Christ. The Father has indeed made His Son, “a light to the nations.” It is our mission as Christ’s Body, the Church, to bring God’s salvation to the ends of the earth.⁶

My dear friends, the year is still new. As Christians, as those who have been sanctified in Christ and called to be holy, our resolution each year, each month, each week, each day should be follow Christ more closely. Following Him is the only sure road not to some destination but to your destiny.

The Lord leads you not just to the Cross but through it. The road to destiny must pass through the Cross. It’s tempting to be like Peter and demur when told where following the Lord leads. This is why it is so important to experience for yourself just how the Lord walks with you through the valley of the shadow of death.⁷

Following Jesus doesn’t only amount to being nice. As Major Frank Burns once observed: “It’s nice to be nice to the nice.” While being kind is important, being a Christian is more than that. I don’t know about you, but I think I could manage to be pretty nice to most people most of the time even if I weren’t a Christian.⁸

It seems fitting as we enter Ordinary Time to simply preach the Gospel of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. It’s the basis of the Gospel. This is why we can affirm that one is saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

While it is certainly true that the Lord accepts you as you are, He loves you too much to leave you as you are. A true encounter with the risen Christ disrupts your life. It changes you and causes you to want to change, to be more and more conformed to the image of Christ.

Christ calls each of us to repentance. Without repentance, one is simply not a Christian. Scripture teaches “all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God.”⁹ This is why we need a Savior, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

In casting the net that broadly, it’s easy to forget or overlook that my sins contribute to the sins of the world. But we adore and bless Christ because, to cite Mere Christianity yet again:

When Christ died, He died for you individually just as much as if you'd been the only [person] in the world¹⁰

As the last verse of a hymn used in the Liturgy of the Hours puts it:

My friends, this Lord Jesus…
is God the Savior,
He is Christ the Lord,
Ever to be worshipped,
Always blest adored¹¹

1 Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sec. 431-432.^↩
2 John 1:29.^↩
3 Mere Christianity, Book II, Chapter 3, “The Shocking Alternative.”^↩
4 Ibid.^↩
5 1 Corinthians 1:2.^↩
6 Isaiah 49:6.^↩
7 Psalm 23:4.^↩
8 Mere Christianity, Book IV, Chapter 10- “Nice People or New Men?”^↩
9 Romans 3:23.^↩
10 Mere Christianity, Book IV, Chapter 3, “Time and Beyond.”^↩
11 Caroline M. Noel. "At the Name of Jesus."^↩

Friday, January 16, 2026

"So, if you're tired of the same old story..."

Today I am ready to start writing a new chapter of my life. My long discernment being over, I cleared two big hurdles today and now can set my sights on retiring from my long-time career and starting something new. It's never done until you've completed the admin!

Another change is the death of Monsignor Joseph Terrence Fitzgerald, P.A. Msgr Fitz or just "Fitz" as he was known, served for many years as Vicar General for the Diocese of Salt Lake City under different bishops: Weigand, Niederauer, & Wester. After retiring as Vicar General, continued to serve our bishops as a trusted senior advisor.

Msgr Fitz was quite proud of the "P.A." that came after his name. P.A. stands for the Latin protonotarius apostolicus (i.e., protonotary apostolic). A P.A. is more than a monsignor, which is a papally conferred title. P.A. is also papal honor, albeit one rarely conferred. A protonotary apostolic belongs to the highest non- episcopal college in the Catholic Church. While I cannot verify this completely, I am quite certain that Fitz turned down the opportunity to be a bishop. He would've been bishop of a different diocese. His life was utterly devoted to the Church in Utah.

Monsignor J. Terrence Fitzgerald, P.A.

Along with Bishop Scanlan and the Holy Cross Sisters, Msgr Fitzgerald, who died on Wednesday, 14 January 2026, will forever remain a pillar supporting the Diocese of Salt Lake City. It's hard to exaggerate his influence, tireless efforts, and expert management of our local Church during his many years as Vicar General.

As rector quite a few years back, he saved my doctoral alma mater- Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon.

From the time of my ordination, Msgr Fitz was a trusted mentor and friend. He was very proactive, leaving a note once a month or so in my box at the Cathedral, asking me to come over his office for a chat. He's the only person in authority who's bawled me out and I walked away feeling better for it. I knew he loved me. He was a mentor, teacher, and encourager for me.

I had a wonderful father and so I've never needed a father figure. Msgr was a wonderful pastor and mentor. He only retired for good late last year. It's been weird not having him around. A great man, a wonderful person, and a Churchman (not a pejorative!) extraordinaire! May he rest in God's peace.

My friend Mike O'Brien wrote a wonderful piece on Msgr Fitzgerald for the Salt Lake Tribune: "Go-to priest, who ‘built the Catholic heart of Utah,’ dies after a life of service." I will cherish my memories of him for the rest of my life. As Eastern Christians say: Memory eternal!

So far in 2026, I have said goodbye to two dear people: Suzanne Lewis and J. Terrence Fitzgerald. I would have known neither but for Christ, who they both loved deeply and who they both served with every fiber of their respective beings. The world is poorer without Suzanne and Msgr.

Quite unbidden a song popped into my mind this week: "Roll With the Changes" by REO Speedwagon. REO isn't really my preferred genre of '80s music. But then, I don't dislike their music. Besides, Kevin Cronin looks like my deceased cousin Mark. The reason this came to mind seems quite apparent. And so, "Roll With the Changes" is our traditio:

Monday, January 12, 2026

Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

Readings: 1 Samuel 1:1-8; Psalm 116:12-19; Mark 1:14-20

Today, the Church re-enters Ordinary Time. It bears repeating that “Ordinary” in this regard is not contrasted with “Extraordinary.” Rather, it refers to “ordinal.” Ordinal, in turn, refers to things in a numbered sequence: first, second, third, fourth, etc. When it comes to the liturgical year, what the Church numbers are Sundays. The difference is that instead of the Second Sunday of Lent, we say the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Called the Lord’s Day, each Sunday is a “little” Easter. When you count the days of Lent starting with Ash Wednesday to the beginning of the Triduum, the first thing you notice is that this penitential season appears to be longer than forty days. To get to forty days, you must subtract Sundays, which are never penitential days and, therefore, do not count as days of Lent!

Today is Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time. This coming Sunday will be the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. For most Roman Catholics, the feast of the Lord’s Baptism is the Sunday after 6 January. For Roman Catholics in the United States, Epiphany is observed the second Sunday after Christmas rather than on the traditional fixed date. And so, for us, Epiphany falls between 2 January and 8 January. Hence, most years the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is the third Sunday after Christmas.

However, when the second Sunday after Christmas is the seventh or the eighth of January, Roman Catholics in the United States observe the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord the very next day, Monday. When the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which is not a holy day of obligation, is observed on Monday, Christmas ends somewhat anti-climactically. This last occurred in 2024 and will next happen in 2029.

It seems fitting to note that we never observe the First Sunday in Ordinary Time. Because the liturgical year is so important for cultivating a truly Catholic and ecclesial spirituality, it is useful to understand it detail. Hopefully, you find it interesting too.

Isn’t it fitting that we begin Ordinary Time with what happens following Jesus' Baptism? Skipping over, as Mark largely does, His sojourn in the desert, Ordinary Time begins with the Lord’s proclamation of God’s kingdom and, in light of that, the call to follow Him. Today, 12 January 2026, is no less “the time of fulfillment” than that day when Jesus emerged from forty days in the desert and proclaimed the “kingdom of God is at hand.” Today, He is calling you to follow Him.

In all three Synoptics but especially in Mark, there is an urgency and immediacy to Christ’s summons. I urge you to ask yourself, “What nets do I need to abandon to follow Jesus?” If her husband, Elkanah, should’ve been worth more than ten sons to poor, barren Hannah, how much more should Jesus Christ be worth to you? As the witness of so many saints show us: Jesus + Nothing= Everything.

As we begin Ordinary Time, a holy season, a season for growth, let’s invoke the words of the Psalmist and implore God to “Teach us to count our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart” (Ps 90:12).