• Biography
• 2007 Columns
• 2008 Columns

A Complex and Elegant Simplicity

DECEMBER 21, 2007 | Christmas is a time associated with gifts. This is because God has given us the greatest gift — that of his Son who became one of us and was born of the Virgin Mary. This gift of God, and all that it embodies, is at the heart of all gifts and why we celebrate this holy season.

‘Into Great Silence’

DECEMBER 7, 2007 | A recent movie that has mesmerized many who have seen it and which has captured quite a bit of popular attention regards the Grand Chartreuse, a Carthusian monastery in the French Alps. Titled “Into Great Silence,” the movie is 162 minutes of almost complete silence that was filmed by one man without a crew and without artificial lighting.

Thanksgiving and forgiveness

NOVEMBER 23, 2007 | An annual Thanksgiving tradition is the presidential pardon of a turkey. While its origin is unknown, one explanation is that it started with Abraham Lincoln, who granted a pardon to his son’s pet turkey. Whatever its origins, the pardon obviously grants the turkey release from being someone’s Thanksgiving dinner.

Living communion with the faithful departed

NOVEMBER 9, 2007 | November is a month during which we remember in a special way those who have passed from this life. The month began with the celebration of the feast of All Saints. On this day we celebrate the lives of those who are now with God in their eternal home. We remember those saints canonized by the church, as well as all of those holy men and women not canonized, but truly saints in heaven. The feast of All Saints reminds us that we form a communion with the saints to whom we pray and upon whose example we rely.

A salute to our farmworkers

OCTOBER 26, 2007 | Next Sunday, Nov. 4, has been designated by the bishops of Florida as Farmworker Sunday. This commemoration gives us reason to reflect upon the work of our farmers, whose toil is essential to all of us here in Florida, as well as to our entire nation. It gives us the opportunity to be grateful for their work and to assist them in their pursuit of justice.

The bright sunshine of darkness

OCTOBER 12, 2007 | During the month of October we celebrate the feasts of two great saints and doctors of the church: St Thérèse of Lisieux, the Little Flower, and St. Teresa of Avila. Both of these women, although different in their backgrounds and the times in which they lived, are well known for their heroic sanctity and their insights into the spiritual life. Perhaps what is not so well known is that both of them suffered tremendous feelings of abandonment by God, as well as a resulting deep and dark desolation. They both wrote about their experiences which, far from detracting from their sanctity, led to it.

Live the word in your heart

SEPTEMBER 28, 2007 | Homily on the occasion of the permanent diaconate ordination, Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola, Sept. 8.

Bishop Barbarito Blesses a new chapel.

SEPTEMBER 14, 2007 | Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito blesses the recently completed chapel at St. Joseph’s Assisted-Living Community in Jupiter Aug. 15.