Bonaventure's "Tree of Life"

Today is the feast of Saint Bonaventure (1221-1274), Bishop and Doctor of the Church, and early follower of the charism of Saint Francis of Assisi. This outstanding contemplative theologian bequeathed to the whole Church numerous writings that inspire and guide Christians in prayer, aiding them to dwell on the Person of Jesus Christ and grow in love for Him.

The Lignum Vitae presents twelve meditations on the life, death, resurrection, and glorification of Jesus. Bonaventure "imagines" these meditations as twelve branches and their fruits that extend outward from the Cross of Jesus. The Cross is the new tree of life, the fruit of which Jesus provides for us by His redeeming death that frees us from our sins.

Bonaventure's contemplative imagery was soon illustrated in brilliant detail by the late medieval Florentine painter Pacino di Bonaguida (around the year 1310) in his famous altarpiece (which is pictured here).

Of these compelling meditations, I wish to cite an excerpt from the final one, which addresses Jesus as the goal and fulfillment of all things:

"As all things are produced through the Word eternally spoken, so all things are restored, advanced and completed through the Word united to flesh. Therefore he is truly and properly called Jesus, because there is no other name under heaven given to men by which one can obtain salvation (Acts 4:12).

[Prayer]

"Believing, hoping and loving with my whole heart, with my whole mind and with my whole strength, may I be carried to you, beloved Jesus, as to the goal of all things, because you alone are sufficient, you alone are good and pleasing to those who seek you and love your name.

"For you, my good Jesus, are the redeemer of the lost, the savior of the redeemed, the hope of exiles, the strength of laborers, the sweet solace of anguished spirits, the crown and imperial dignity of the triumphant, the unique reward and joy of all the citizens of heaven, the renowned offspring of the supreme God and the sublime fruit of the virginal womb, the abundant fountain of all graces, of whose fulness we have all received."

~Saint Bonaventure, Lignum Vitae 48

A Seed Among Thorns

“The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit” (Matthew 13:22).

This is from today’s Gospel. I recognize myself here.

Worldly anxiety and the lure of riches… I struggle with the obstructing power of these “thorns.” The lure of riches, indeed. Not so much material riches (though I wouldn’t refuse them if they came my way), but the “riches” of scholarly knowledge and reputation and influence? Those thorns still threaten to choke me. 

Worldly anxiety? These are anxious times, and they call for a deepening of faith and trust. It’s easy to make exhortations about this, but the things of this life (even the good things) stir up a deeper possessiveness in us than we realize.

I am still too attached to “this world.” Lord, have mercy on me. Increase my faith. Jesus, draw forth from within my heart a greater trust in you, a greater love for you.

The "Search" of Saint Benedict

July 11th is the Feast of Saint Benedict.

Saint Benedict was a man who went off into the desert in search of God. He sought to dedicate himself to God alone.

He had no project.

He did not plan to establish a monastery.

He did not plan to found a religious order.

He did not plan the preservation of the classical learning and culture of ancient Greece and Rome.

He did not plan to feed the poor, care for the sick, found schools, or become a counselor to the great and powerful.

He did not plan to lay the foundations for so much of what was true, good, and beautiful in the remarkable Christian-inspired civilization of the Latin Middle Ages (notwithstanding its many great flaws and inadequacies).

He sought only to give himself to God. He found God in the desert. He found Him in silence and prayer. He also found Him in obedience, which for Benedict meant responding to the little things that God gave him. It meant loving God in those first followers who sought him out. It meant helping them to live together as brothers. It meant writing his directives down, as a rule "for beginners."

Silence, prayer, obedience, humility, love. These are still the things that really matter. These are the things that build up the heart of the Church and shine light on the pathways of our journey to eternal life. But we must acknowledge all of God's gifts: it is also this radical self-forgetfulness out of love for Christ that builds up the world. Saint Benedict was not aware of this, but God used him nonetheless, and for centuries in the West he has been known as the "Father of Europe." By seeking God after his example and according to his rule, Benedict's followers would also change the history of the world. Benedictine monasteries rose out of the ruins of the Latin Roman Empire, preserved and fostered valuable achievements of late antiquity, and inspired and helped shape the institutions of the new peoples who built Western Europe's Christian-inspired culture.

In the forgetfulness, distraction, and opaqueness of today's global epoch, with its immense material power and its many genuinely good (though often ill-directed) achievements and aspirations for a more equitable and humane world, are there "new Saint Benedicts" who are willing to forsake themselves to search for God and inspire others to join them?

The Second Decade of "Remembering Christina Grimmie"

Last month completed a decade of remembering the late, legendary Christina Grimmie by her frands worldwide. July 10th marks the first month of the second decade (i.e. ten years and one month) of our ongoing appreciation of the courageous young singer, songwriter, and musician, her gift of herself, and her legacy.

I have participated in the enduring phenomenon of "Team Grimmie" over that period, both through writing and various artistic projects generating memes and/or digital artistic images (mostly portraits) based on photographs of "still shots" from her many videos. Her remarkable face has led me to appreciate the delicate art of portraiture (in what ever medium it is pursued) as a way of "searching for the human face" in its unique expressiveness.

Over these past ten years, my attempts at portraiture are, at best, "incomplete," but nearly all of them fail to express the human visage — at once familiar and mysterious — with concrete precision or even in successfully evocative caricature. Christina has not been my only subject. I have accumulated a huge digital file which serves as something between a virtual wastepaper basket and a place to store partial efforts that I believe might still have some potential.

So-called tools of "artificial intelligence" have, in my experience, expedited a few technical matters but have engendered many more problems, as their "algorithmic prejudices" frustrate the intent of my particular artistic sensibility. I am not interested in generating images from descriptive words, but rather in molding the image in its "digital plasticity" which is a "hands on" work of practical design that ranges from photographic enhancement to a kind of two-dimensional digital "sculpture." I also form "natural scenes" based on my own photographs.

I'm moved by the human face, but I'm also in search of how all these new (and constantly changing) technologies might be gathered together as "materials" for a new form of genuine art. Art springs from the human urge to "make" something beautiful and the human "intuition" that guides and governs (with an often unyielding sternness) the creative process. Ultimately, the artist him-or-her-self must must be contented with the completion of the work. No technical "tricks" or shortcuts can substitute for the discrete prompting that leads the artist to construct a work of art as a personal expression.

When it first appeared more than a century ago, photography was spurned by "real artists," and it took generations for the photographic medium to become widely used and  recognized as a crafted image of personal expression and communication. Digital programs and AI will certainly improve their capacity to "generate pictures." But an artist remains frustrated insofar as an “independent process” replaces his or her own personal involvement — the "work" of bringing forth something beautiful from "within" but also "incarnated" through an engagement with external materials. An algorithmic fabrication of a picture — even a good picture — is something essentially different from an artistic work in which I have in some significant manner invested myself. It may seem that AI can do “everything” to make a great picture, but the artist feels no connection to these pictures, and becomes frustrated and bored. I still believe the artist can gather these technological materials and make something “different,” some that is — in a certain sense — “original,” even if the artist is the only one who “sees” it. Eventually, vivid new forms may be recognized more generally, and others will be able to distinguish genuine personal artistic expressions of beauty from AI’s mass-collated-data “imitations.”

Christina Grimmie wrote music, which I also did in my youth and may yet return to. But for now, she inspires me to wrestle with a brave new world of pictorial art, seeking human faces as I have "seen" them — which remains more difficult than it might seem, but remains an artistic task that I find worth discovering and cultivating.

Joseph Zhang Dapeng: A Chinese Martyr

The Catholic Church in China maintained a continuous vital history from the time of the first Jesuit missionaries in the late 16th century until the upheavals of the mid twentieth century. At first, the Church took root in various regions through the preaching and ministry of European missionaries. The Jesuits had built up enough credit with the imperial court in Beijing to gain permission for evangelization efforts all over the Empire in the 17th century. However, Rome eventually became convinced that the Confucian practices of ancestor veneration that were so deeply woven into the whole fabric of Chinese culture constituted pagan religious superstitions, and declared that Chinese Christians could no longer participate in these family and civic rituals (a prohibition that was lifted by Pope Pius XII in 1939). This decision was one of the forces that alienated the Qing dynasty from the Church, and in 1724 Western missionaries were officially banned from China.

Although enforcement varied, persecutions broke out in different places throughout the period that is considered the “Golden Age” of the Qing dynasty. Priests were in short supply. Nevertheless the Gospel continued to fascinate Chinese people who came in contact with it, often instilling within them an urge to share it with others. Catholic communities grew and expanded by the force of their own Christian witness. Meanwhile, many ordinary Chinese sought greater truths that would speak to their unsatisfied hearts. They were drawn to “brotherhoods” of Buddhists and Taoists who had practices of meditation, fasting, and other techniques that promised to bring inner enlightenment and vitality.

One such seeker was Zhang Dapeng, a silk merchant born in 1754 in Guizhou. While he sought spiritual truth, his business ventures flourished and his extended family rose to prominence in the region. Zhang Dapeng was married, but he had no sons. In traditional China, men of means often obtained a “secondary wife” in such circumstances, in an effort to have a son to carry on the family lineage. As he approached middle age, Dapeng married a “second wife” and she gave birth to a son.

Meanwhile his friend and business partner sent his own son, Wang Zheng, to Beijing for the civil service examinations. There he encountered Christians, was baptized, and returned to Guizhou as Xavier Wang Zheng, a young man on fire for Christ and the Gospel. He began drawing others to conversion, and his witness grabbed the attention and interest of “Uncle” Dapeng, who also studied Xavier’s books and catechism. Dapeng began to believe, and wished to seek baptism, but he was hindered by the fact that he had two wives. His brothers and other relatives also raised violent objections, fearing that Dapeng’s conversion would disgrace the whole family. Dapeng struggled to choose Christ over his social status, which meant a great deal to him.

It was a catechist — Laurence Hu Shilu — who accompanied him during this struggle and guided him to make the courageous decision to convert. He stood against the opposition of his brothers (though they continued to harass him and his fellow Christians). He provided for his “second wife,” both financially and by introducing her to a Catholic man who would become her husband. Finally, at the age of 47, he was baptized Joseph Zhang Dapeng. The former silk merchant began a new life of witnessing to Christ’s saving love while also keeping one step ahead of his brothers and civil authorities. After much fruitful labor, Joseph was finally captured and executed on March 12, 1815.

Saint Joseph Zhang Dapeng is among the group of 120 Chinese martyrs canonized by Pope Saint John Paul II in the year 2000, who are celebrated as a group on the Universal Roman Calendar on July 9th. He also has a personal day for the commemoration of his own martyrdom on March 12th.

There are No “Coincidences” in Real Life

God is present in this moment.

Whatever the circumstances may be, he is using them as elements of a Person-to-person dialogue with us.

He seeks out each one of us; He has personalized the whole, vast, apparently random and chance-filled universe.

He takes all the multitudes of forces that come together and make up the situation of reality at any given moment, and fashions them — from all eternity — into a love song that He wants to sing to each of us personally.

He calls out to us, and awakens in our hearts the desire to seek Him.

It is not just in a distant, far-off way that we seek God in the midst of an apparently meaningless life. God has chosen to share our lives in a mysterious closeness. He comes to us in every circumstance so as to call us to recognize His presence, to draw us to Himself — even through suffering and weakness — and to evoke from us the response of confidence and love.

There are no "coincidences" in real life. In the ultimate truth of things, which has to do with their place in God's plan, no event is insignificant; no situation we find ourselves in can be called "meaningless," because in Jesus Christ, God has chosen to dwell in this world, and to shape everything into the possibility to discover Him through love, through joy, through suffering freely embraced, through sharing His mercy.

After all these years of life and joy and suffering and hope, I still believe that this is true. There are moments that are vivid, full of prayer and gratitude. There are other moments that are confusing, when I don’t know how to seek Him or can’t seem to “find” Him, or when the pain, the limits of my life, the exhaustion seem overwhelming. Far too many moments, however, I ignore Him, take Him for granted, or give in to distraction or boredom. Still, He is here. He dwells with us, walks with us, draws us gently and with great patience, and gives us what we need, step by step. 

I believe this, which is to say I know this by the grace of faith. It sustains my hope, and stirs the still-tiny flickering flames of supernatural love — agape, caritas — that He has enkindled in my heart.

God is present in this moment, in my moment. He has entered into the very flesh and blood, the very humanity of the ordinary moments of my every day, by becoming my companion in Jesus Christ, my brother… and your brother.

This means that we are brothers and sisters of one another, and cannot truly live any other way.

“Entering into the Dynamic of Love…”

Pope Leo visited migrants and refugees on the Southern Italian island of Lampedusa on July 4, 2026.

Hot Summer in July 2026

July is here. The huge heat wave that roasted Europeans last month seems to have made its way to North America. Triple-digit temperatures (100+ degrees) are in the forecast in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States for at least three days, with more days in the upper 90s (that’s in the “Fahrenheit” system still used in the U.S.A.; the international [Celsius] scale used by the rest of the world marks these temperatures somewhere between 37 and 38 degrees).

The “extreme weather alert” warnings definitely apply to people in my condition. I’m stuck indoors. At least we have air-conditioning. I’m still going to have to pace myself. It’s very hot right now.

Happy Feast of Saints Peter and Paul

Happy Feast of Saints Peter and Paul!

These are the two great apostles, martyrs, and patron saints of the Church of Rome. The Bishops of Rome through the ages and even to the present day have received from Saint Peter the special authority and ministry entrusted to him by Jesus (see Matthew 16:13-19). Jesus said to Peter, "'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' He said to him, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.' He said to him, 'Tend my sheep'" (John 21:16).

Jesus has promised to remain always with us, and He provides abundantly for us in the poverty and struggles of this earthly life. He is with us and is working to transform us through the power of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and within the communio of His Church, where we are united to one another in Him, nourished by His Body and Blood in the Eucharist and built up by all the Sacraments, and guided by the Successors of the Apostles (the Bishops throughout the world) united to the Pope of Rome, the Successor of Saint Peter. Let us therefore adhere to the Lord with trust, no matter what, as did Peter when he said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of God" (John 6:68-69).

We continue to be inspired today by the great faith of Saints Peter and Paul, who endured many trials and finally shed their blood as witnesses of Christ. Their witness reaches us vividly from the Scriptures. Peter encourages believers: "Beloved, rejoice in the measure that you share Christ’s sufferings. When his glory is revealed, you will rejoice exultantly. Happy are you when you are insulted for the sake of Christ, for then God’s Spirit in its glory has come to rest on you" (1 Peter 4:13-14). And Paul expresses this in a very personal way to Timothy: "I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance" (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

Today is a day of joy and hope for us, for Jesus continues to dwell among us concretely in this world through the essential service of the successors of Saint Peter (the Popes), who hold “the keys to the kingdom of heaven,” and the apostolic heritage of Saint Paul, who opened the riches of the Gospel to the “Gentiles” — the peoples of all the earth and all of history.

The Pope Continues to Preach Peace Through Dialogue

This is a "busy" graphic that I worked up to highlight these important words of the Pope. Here is a longer version of the quotation in text:

God "created us in his image and likeness as a sign of his glory in the world. Whenever this sign is wounded, we are all wounded. Whenever it is corrupted, we all suffer. Whenever it is destroyed, we all feel torn apart. Therefore, war is never worthy of humanity, and it is never blessed by God, because, even if we are equipped with high-tech weapons, the Creator has endowed us with intelligence and free will to resolve conflicts as human beings and not as beasts. That the unity of the human family takes precedence over individual peoples and states is not merely a biological fact; it is an ethical principle. Peace is a duty of justice because we are one human family, a magnifica humanitas that finds its head and redeemer in Christ" (Pope Leo XIV, on Friday's opening of the special Consistory of the College of Cardinals).

“The Lord Sustains Our Floundering Hope…”

In this quotation, Saint Gregory of Nyssa speaks of how Christ sustains our hope by giving us a "new understanding" of His transforming presence in the midst of our trials. 

(From today's Office of Readings)

The Birth of Saint John the Baptist

Today is the wonderful Solemnity of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist, my patron saint and the patron of our parish church. The birth of “the Forerunner” of Jesus is recounted in Luke’s gospel, chapter 1, beginning at verse 57.

As in the New Testament, so also in both Eastern and Western liturgical traditions the birth of John points forward to the birth of Jesus. Today is six months before Christmas Eve. John’s birth has its own striking details, among which is the restoration of the voice of his father Zechariah who heralds the coming the Savior in his prophetic “canticle” (Luke 1:68-79). This text has become a daily feature of liturgical prayer; in the Western tradition it has long been prayed in the main morning office of the Liturgy of the Hours and is commonly known as the “Benedictus.”

Before the canticle, however, Zechariah confirmed on a writing tablet the name to be given to his son. It was a surprise for the gathering of relatives who were celebrating the baby’s circumcision on the eighth day after his birth. “His name is John,” he wrote (Luke 1:63). It is a name that summarizes the canticle that follows: Yohanan in Hebrew means “God is merciful.”

I am therefore especially grateful to have been baptized with the English version (John) of this powerful prophetic name. I was named after my maternal grandfather, today’s great saint, and the Pope at that time (January 1963) who is now also a saint, John XXIII. This Pope’s own “prophetic gift” was the source of an epoch-defining event for the Church and the whole world — the Second Vatican Council — that has continued to steadily bear fruit throughout my life.

The image is a Byzantine icon of Saint John the Baptist along with the proper text of the Preface to today’s Eucharistic Prayer in the Roman Rite.

The name “John” remains for me a foundation for hope. “God is merciful,” indeed.

Thirty Years of Mr. and Mrs. John and Eileen Janaro

June 22nd brings a WEDDING ANNIVERSARY to my "life events" social media timeline. Can you do the math? ... that's THIRTY YEARS of John and Eileen Janaro. 

Dear Eileen, I love you! I’m so grateful for you and for our life together.❤️❤️☺️

“Unchained From the Bondage of Vanity”

This rich passage from Vatican II’s 1965 “Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World” expresses something of the relationship between all the good work we carry out in this world serving God, and the transcendent fulfillment of His Kingdom that will come at the end of time, with the general resurrection and the inauguration of the new heavens and the new earth. It’s something I ponder more and more as I grow older…

“We do not know the time for the consummation of the earth and of humanity, nor do we know how all things will be transformed. As deformed by sin, the shape of this world will pass away; but we are taught that God is preparing a new dwelling place and a new earth where justice will abide, and whose blessedness will answer and surpass all the longings for peace which spring up in the human heart. Then, with death overcome, the sons of God will be raised up in Christ, and what was sown in weakness and corruption will be invested with incorruptibility. Enduring with charity and its fruits, all that creation which God made on man's account will be unchained from the bondage of vanity.

“Therefore, while we are warned that it profits a man nothing if he gain the whole world and lose himself, the expectation of a new earth must not weaken but rather stimulate our concern for cultivating this one. For here grows the body of a new human family, a body which even now is able to give some kind of foreshadowing of the new age.

“Hence, while earthly progress must be carefully distinguished from the growth of Christ's kingdom, to the extent that the former can contribute to the better ordering of human society, it is of vital concern to the Kingdom of God.

“For after we have obeyed the Lord, and in His Spirit nurtured on earth the values of human dignity, brotherhood and freedom, and indeed all the good fruits of our nature and enterprise, we will find them again, but freed of stain, burnished and transfigured, when Christ hands over to the Father: ‘a kingdom eternal and universal, a kingdom of truth and life, of holiness and grace, of justice, love and peace.’ On this earth that Kingdom is already present in mystery. When the Lord returns it will be brought into full flower.”

~Gaudium et Spes, Part 1, 3:39

Teresa’s Wedding

Saturday was a beautiful and joyful day. Our daughter Teresa married Will Kolesar at the “new” Chapel at Christendom College (which is already several years old, and looks more like a cathedral than a “chapel”). They were united by Christ in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony in this grand and sacred space where they had attended Mass and received the sacraments during their years of university life. (Her older brother and sister John Paul [2020] and Lucia [2022] had their weddings at the “old” Christendom Chapel, which had been dear to me from my years of active teaching.)

The Wedding Mass and the large happy reception that followed touched my own heart with a wide spectrum of emotions: as father-of-the-bride (look, I even danced!), husband of 30 years (next week) to the bride’s mother and my beloved wife Eileen, with the memory of our own wedding still vivid, and thoughts of my own parents who witnessed it (both of them younger than I am now) and who had an important role in Teresa’s early life and the lives of our other four children (now all grown up). I was also happy to be grandfather (“Papa”) to some of the flower girls. This little “piece of human history” that we have lived and continue to live — sustained by the mercy and love of God — brought a “taste” of eternity on this precious Saturday afternoon.

It filled me (and, I’m sure, many others too) with gratitude and strengthened my hope for the journey of faith and love that remains ahead of me in my life, however long or short it may be, with whatever joys and trials may lie ahead. All glory to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

These are a few pictures from my phone camera and a few others. They are not very good, but they give a hint of the day and some of the things I referred to above. I may add a few more pics later.

The Heart of Jesus is Our Refuge and Strength

Lots of things are happening these days. Today is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I have reflected much on the fact that His merciful redeeming love is the only hope of salvation. Life is all tangled up with concerns and aspirations that we never realize, or only “half-realize” while also making a mess of things. We have joys and consolations but they too have limits and call our hearts to go beyond them. They are, nevertheless, real and worthy of gratitude, just as our failures and sufferings are real and meaningful, and are woven into a mysterious destiny that we cannot fully understand. If we live these joys and sorrows with confidence that the Heart of Jesus is with us through everything, and if we share our joys and sufferings together — as signs of hope and burdens that none of us are meant to carry alone — then we will grow closer to the Heart of Jesus, and recognize with amazement that His healing mercy is always at work within us and among us.

Lots of things are happening these days. Untold millions of people are still struggling with the catastrophes of war, gut-wrenching poverty, oppression and injustice. They are our brothers and sisters. Pope Leo continues to challenge us in his native land, and all the peoples of the world (especially in the wealthy nations) to recognize the “infinite dignity” of each of these persons, to see them the way Jesus sees them, and seek from God the grace to love them, respect them, and help them through whatever constructive possibilities that can be found. Much is needed, and the ways are not easy, but we cannot “throw away” human persons just because we don’t know how to “solve their problems.” Their sufferings cry out to Christ’s Heart, and if we find that their circumstances perplex us or fill us with fear, then we have to join them in their cry from our own hearts, acknowledging that we need His love to move forward toward a “common good” that we all can benefit from as we travel the roads of this world.

It is not easy. The world is in peril, because hearts have become small and love has grown cold. We must beg the Heart of Jesus to enkindle the fire of His love in our hearts. If we turn to Him and entrust everything to Him, we will begin to see new possibilities of love opening before us — new ways to give glory to the Lord, grow toward our destiny of eternal life with Him, and contribute to building a more fraternal world. The Heart of Jesus wants to gather us together on our journey toward the full realization of His Father’s Kingdom. Do we really believe that life in Christ is “already” the “beginning” of God’s Kingdom? Do we look at the problems of the world (and our own lives) from this perspective? God is our Father, He loves each one of us, and He wants us to live forever with Him. I pray that my own heart might be converted and changed, so that I might look more and more upon my own life and all of the human persons who have been entrusted to me in the light of the glorified Heart of Jesus.

Lots of things are happening in these days. Tomorrow my daughter Teresa is getting married. The is a joyful occasion. My health is on a bit of a roller coaster up and down, but I think I have enough energy to walk her down the aisle. Of course, there will be pictures of everything posted here soon. My brother Walter will be at the wedding. He still feels well enough to do many things, but he also spends a lot more time with doctors, getting relief from the symptoms of his cancer and planning approaches to treatment, which will probably begin soon after this joyful wedding. 

My only (and much loved) brother has cancer. The times that are coming will be “hard” in ways that are new for him and for me too. He is my only brother and has always been there for me, Eileen, and his nephew and nieces (and now also his grand-nieces). How can I be “there” for him? Lord, help me! I don’t know where all of this is leading. I’m anxious, because I’m a weak and sinful man. I feel — intensely — my own helplessness as well as the lack of love in my own heart. Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us! Have mercy on me, a sinner. Have mercy on Walter, who has always been a great gift from you in my life and in our family. He has always been the "strong one," and I have taken for granted how much I have been able to depend on him in my own afflictions and sufferings of body and mind. This is really a "new thing" for him (he has always been in good health). It's new for me, and for the whole family. Dear Jesus, I'm scared. Lead us through this darkness, step by step. One step, and then another step, and another.... I believe in the all-encompassing wisdom and love of your Heart. But I am weak, distracted, and forgetful. Increase my faith! Sustain my brother through all these days, through whatever he is called to endure. Enable our family to grow in love for you and for one another.

Jesus, I'm scared.

Lots of things… Eileen and I will celebrate our 30th Anniversary on June 22. Then we have birthdays and the “kids” have anniversaries of their own marriages coming up. Tomorrow’s wedding will be a beautiful day.

Dear Jesus, please help me to “feel better.” I’m afraid of growing old, and losing the few abilities I still have. The world is in great turmoil. The internet is becoming so huge and complicated that it overwhelms me. I can’t keep up anymore. 

Most Sacred, Beautiful, Merciful Heart of Jesus, I entrust everything to you.

The Consecration of the U.S. to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

On this day, the Catholic Bishops of the United States consecrated the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This is a powerful gesture at this time in our nation’s history, when there is so much need for His merciful love.

Ten YEARS Later, Christina Grimmie Still Shines Brightly

Ten years ago, Christina Grimmie was unexpectedly called home to be with the Lord. 

She was only 22 years old on the night of June 10, 2016, when she was gunned down by a deranged man during a meet-and-greet after her concert in Orlando, Florida. Her final gesture in this world was to open her arms to welcome this person she didn't know as he approached her from the line. He shot her three times in the head and chest at point blank range before shooting himself.

What an incomprehensible tragedy! We miss her so much. Yet the light of her witness has remained with us and grown stronger over the past decade, even as the world has grown more violent, chaotic, confused, and alienating.

And today, when we worry about whether new technologies might overwhelm our humanity, Christina Grimmie continues to show us the way forward. 

Christina was a pioneering YouTuber who shared her astonishing musical talents and herself, offering love and gratitude to people all over the world, not only through social media but also in and after her concerts. With faith in the One who LOVED her, she found the courage to communicate her love, to use technology and her "celebrity statue" to encounter human persons, to build a "communion of persons," to love unconditionally. 

She knew that love is always a risk. Life is a risk. Being human is a risk. Using new technologies to connect with people is a risk. Christina did not shy away from that risk. Love moved her forward to make music and connect with people, to "risk herself" every day.  And she touched the hearts of vast numbers of people because she was so full of life, so real, so rich with that magnificent humanity that the Lord gave her.

This is why we remember and honor Christina Grimmie today.

In February of 2014, people all over the USA watched and heard on national television Christina Grimmie’s astonishing, jaw-dropping, “four-chair-turning” blind audition for Season 6 of The Voice. (It is frequently ranked among the greatest auditions in the history of this talent contest show or other similar shows.) Shortly after the program aired, she posted the accompanying text on Twitter. At other times she also expressed her intention to live everything in her life for Jesus Christ, “for His glory.” Christina was never “preachy” — rather, she expressed simply and when the occasion presented itself her determined and persistent desire to live her whole young, enthusiastic, funny, musically amazing, great-hearted, and very human life “for Him.”

Corpus Christi 2026

"We are gathered around the Eucharist, the gift of Christ’s living presence among us. He who wished to offer us his life so that we might enter into communion with the Father and become his children, is here as the living Bread come down from heaven, to nourish us with the very life of God, with a love stronger than death."

Jesus in the Eucharist "does not enclose us in private devotion, but sends us out to refresh our brothers and sisters, our families, the poor, the suffering, and those who have lost hope. Eucharistic grace transforms us and makes us protagonists of the transformation of history, a sign of hope for those we meet."

~Pope Leo XIV, Solemnity of Corpus Christi,

June 7, 2026 (Madrid, Apostolic Journey to Spain)

Saint Norbert: A Medieval Reformer

June 6th is the feast of Saint Norbert. Let’s learn a little bit about him, from one of my old columns:

This is the story of a young German living a worldly life, who, after experiencing a terrible thunderstorm, joined a monastery and later became known to the world as a “reformer.” But this is not the story of Martin Luther. Our German lived 400 years before Protestantism, and was very different from the conflicted, tumultuous, and rebellious Luther. St. Norbert was a true Catholic reformer, shaped by the Church. Under her obedience, he brought together monastic discipline and apostolic zeal, renewing the clergy, refreshing the witness of preaching, and leaving a legacy of followers who still bear his name today.

Norbert was born in 1080 in Xanten, near Cologne, to a wealthy noble family. He served at the court of the Archbishop of Cologne and the Holy Roman Emperor Henry V and gave himself over to a sinful life of luxury and the pursuit of pleasure. Worldly though he was, Norbert nonetheless resisted the corrupting path of ecclesiastical careerism by refusing an episcopal appointment or even ordination to the priesthood.

Jesus was waiting for Norbert, keeping him free for a decisive moment that would move his heart. In 1113, Norbert’s horse was struck by lightning during a storm and threw him to the ground, unconscious. Something happened in those moments, and when Norbert recovered he was changed. Jesus had suddenly revealed to him the futility of his life, and filled him with the desire for conversion and penance. 

Norbert left the court at Cologne, and in order to follow Jesus fully, he turned to the Church in earnest, and he did so by going to a place close to home, the Benedictine Abbey at Siegburg. This was a relatively new monastery, a fruit of the great monastic reform that spread from Cluny in France, but it had begun to flourish under Cono, its third abbot. Jesus drew Norbert to His heart through the wise spiritual fatherhood of Cono. For three years Norbert lived the life of the abbey and followed Cono’s guidance. He saw the foundational value of the monastic life, and yet — as his faith grew stronger — he was filled with the desire to preach the Gospel beyond the monastic walls. Cono’s friendship prevented Norbert from any rash decisions, and helped him to learn humility and patience. But when the right moment came, this great friend sent Norbert out to seek ordination as a priest in the Archdiocese of Cologne.

The courtier returned with the humility of a monk and a heart burning with the desire to bring Christ to the world. After his ordination, during his initial struggles with his inimical fellow clergy, and then after the final confirmation of his vocation in 1118 when the Pope appointed him “missionary apostolic” with authority to preach throughout the Church, Norbert continued to visit the abbot and consulted with Cono up until the latter’s death. By then Saint Norbert was spreading from Premontre to Magdeburg his vision of a priestly life that was both monastic and missionary. He faced much resistance but gained many friends and disciples of his own, one of whom —Blessed Hugh of Fosse — would become the first abbot of the religious order we call the “Norbertines,” who brought renewal to the Church in the Middle Ages and continue to do so today.

“Alone and Poor”

"Turn to me and have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am alone and poor. See my lowliness and suffering and take away all my sins, my God" (antiphon, June 4).

We Must Not Forget the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre

Chinese Diaspora communities all over the world held candlelight vigils to mourn the 37th anniversary of that terrible night of June 4, 1989. 

On that night, the government of the "People's" Republic of China turned the guns and tanks of the "People's" Liberation Army against... the Chinese PEOPLE in their own capital city who had dared to give voice to the fundamental and implacable desire of their hearts (and of every human heart) for freedom and dignity. Thousands of people died for the "crime" of expressing their longing to be treated like full human persons whose freedom was not defined by the State or the Party, but who sought something greater....

Saint Joseph Mukasa Balikuddembe: Uganda’s First Martyr

The stories of the Uganda martyrs in the late 19th century are well known to us today, thanks to vivid testimonies from a variety of sources, many of whom were fellow Christians who witnessed the events and/or knew the martyrs personally. They present the most remarkable circumstances that attended the birth of Christianity in the Great Lakes region of East Africa, in the Kingdom of Buganda.

Present day Uganda traces itself back to this unusual kingdom, a pagan realm in the African interior, governed for centuries by an absolute monarch (the Kabaka) who had the power of life and death over his three million subjects. The Kingdom of Buganda was a courteous, refined, and generous place, with worthy traditions passed down from generation to generation. It was also marred by political intrigue between the Kabaka, his ministers, and clan chiefs. The social order had many good features, but also ingrained habits of cruelty, a form of polygamy that made women virtual slaves, and narrow and sometimes violent superstitions that occasionally even called for human sacrifice.

All the conflicting tensions of Buganda were ultimately in the hands of the Kabaka, until outside forces began bringing new ideas and practices into his realm. Arab Muslims came first, followed by English explorers, then English (Anglican) missionaries, and (after many setbacks) the French Catholic “White Fathers” led by Father Simeon Lourdel, who arrived in 1879. Kabaka Mutesa allowed everyone religious freedom, and Bagandans with searching minds and hearts were drawn from the old oppressive paganism toward Islam or the preaching of the Gospel. The Kabaka himself was ambivalent, as he feared encroachment from both Arabs and emerging European colonial powers. He leaned toward one or another religion in turns, trying to play the Arabs, French, and English against one another to see who would best serve his political interests. Kabaka Mutesa was not a persecutor, but his political-religious intrigues ultimately led to the collapse of the Kingdom under his sons, and to great suffering for Bagandan Christians.

Meanwhile, (Joseph) Mukasa, born in 1860 in the Giant-Rat Clan, grew up tall, athletic, and intelligent among his extended family. Seemingly destined for prominence, he was sent to serve at the Kabaka’s court in 1874, where he distinguished himself and rapidly rose through the ranks, while also seeking religious truth. Faith in Jesus Christ came for Mukasa, as it did for so many in Buganda, through the grace of an encounter and the encouragement of friendship. After several years at court, Mukasa became friends with the new royal drummer Kaggwa (later Saint Andrew Kaggwa, another of the early martyrs). Kaggwa had met the remarkable Fr Lourdel, and was fascinated by his radiant Christian life. He convinced Mukasa to join him in the Catholic catechumenate. On April 30, 1882, Andrew Kaggwa and Joseph Mukasa were baptized by Fr Lourdel. They had long been busy bringing others to meet the Catholic missionaries, and so the Church grew from person-to-person.

Soon Joseph Mukasa had risen to the special rank of Kabaka Mutesa’s personal attendant, and he took care of the enigmatic Kabaka during the latter’s final illness and death in 1884. His son and successor Mwanga retained Joseph and respected him deeply, often seeking his advice on political questions. Kabaka Mwanga, however, was a man of unstable temperament and self indulgence. He soon turned against the Christians. Joseph Mukasa’s patient rebukes of the young ruler led to Mwanga’s condemning him to death. On November 15, 1885, Joseph Mukasa became Buganda’s first Catholic martyr at the beginning of the persecution and heroic witness of the other Uganda martyrs whose feast is collectively celebrated on June 3.

Jojo Graduates From High School!

Josefina Janaro got her high school diploma on Sunday afternoon after completing her course of studies and activities at the White Oaks School of the John XXIII Montessori Center. Hooray for Jojo!

She is one of the pioneers of this educational enterprise that my wife Eileen has participated in since its beginning in 2009, when the Center launched its program offering the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd together with Montessori academics for Primary and Elementary levels. All five of our kids carried out a significant portion of their education at John XXIII, but Jojo has the rare distinction of having accomplished the entire program. She began at the age of 3, and did Primary and Elementary and then continued through the Middle and Upper School levels of the Adolescent program which was added (as “White Oaks,” on a distinct part of the campus) in time for her to continue with this unique Integrated Catholic Montessori experience all the way to this graduation day.

When I began the “Never Give Up Blog” fifteen years ago, it was primarily about all five of the “kids” and the adventures of our family life. Jojo was the “baby” of the family, and her growing up was a source for many of the funniest anecdotes. Everything remains in the Blog archive and is still easily accessible.

I really can’t say that it “seems like only yesterday,” because in fact it seems like a long time ago. Life has changed a lot during these recent years. Jojo has changed the most of any of us during this time, and has become a lovely and outgoing young woman. We are very very proud of her.

Congratulations Jojo. May the Holy Spirit continue to guide your steps in days to come.

Leo's Encyclical: An Antidote to Cynicism and Despair

I finished Pope Leo's Encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, but I will have to revisit, reread, and ruminate upon its various points and their implications, which move far beyond particularities about AI to address the whole posture of our society in relation to technology, material progress, the centrality of the dignity of the human person, and service to the common good.

I'm often tempted to cynicism, as I'm now well into my seventh decade living on this earth. The growth of material power and its possibilities had already reached enormous proportions before I was born, and that growth has expanded in marvelous and terrifying ways in my lifetime. In today's world, it seems like everything is gigantic, extreme, off-balance, too fast, dizzying, chaotic, and falling apart. So many people just can't "keep up" with this runaway train. They lose their grip. Many others never have a chance; they are casualties of the mania and callous indifference of the "culture of power." 

In my days I have experienced how hard life can be, how much of it is wasted in distraction, and how lonely we feel when we are forced to face our failures and seem to disintegrate from our own sufferings. Left to myself, I would certainly fall into cynicism, pessimism, and a mental breakdown far worse than any affliction I have ever faced before.

Instead, I look upon the world with a hopeful gaze, with confidence that it's possible to build up the good in this moment in history, to contribute to what Leo (like his predecessors) has called "the civilization of love." Even the material power that human beings have apparently unleashed wildly upon the world can be turned toward the service of truth and goodness and the freedom of persons living in communion. It is a challenge for all of us to grow, patiently and persistently, in wisdom and maturity. And I think that, as long as life is given to me, I can contribute to the fulfillment of this challenge.

If I have any hope for the present and the future, it is only because I know that I am not alone. We are not alone. Jesus is here. We are called to participate in His work of "redeeming the time" that has been entrusted to us. This is possible, and even joyful, when we follow Him and trust in Him.

The Pope explains this beautifully in the final pages of his text. Here I cite excerpts from sections 231-232:

“At the heart of everything is the mystery of the Incarnation, the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. The flesh of the Son, poor and vulnerable, evokes the flesh of so many brothers and sisters stripped of their dignity and reduced to silence. Through the Lord’s closeness, the gift of peace enters into the world in a paradoxical way. It does so through the power to become children of God, and is awakened when we allow ourselves to be moved by the tears of the little ones, the fragility of the elderly, the silence of victims and the struggle of those who fight against the evil they do not wish to commit. In this wounded yet beloved flesh, the Father shows us the true humanity of a life fulfilled through openness and communion, which leads us to desire that his will be done on earth as it is in heaven…

“On the one hand, old and new ideologies alike urge humanity to overcome limitations through technology, and to rise above others by asserting dominance. Contrary to this, the mystery of the Son of God entering into our human condition promises something quite different. The living God descends into our history in order to free us from all forms of slavery. He takes upon himself our weakness and transforms it into a setting for salvation. There is no moment or human situation that is not worthy of God. 'According to the teaching of our faith, we have and adore, in our mysteries, a God who is born in a manger, a God who lives and travels in Judea, a God who dies on the cross, a dead God who lies in the tomb.' [footnote 210 cites 17th century Cardinal Pierre de Bérulle] The future of humanity, therefore, finds its standard in the ability to welcome this divine way of drawing near, of sharing the burden of the world, of transforming relationships from within. 'O wonder... man is God and this God-Man passes through all those stages, endures all those states and ennobles them, sanctifies them, deifies them in himself!' [footnote 211 cites Bérulle again] What saves humanity is the divine love that descends into the most fragile point of our history and renews it from within.”

~Pope Leo XIV, Magnifica Humanitas 231-232

Pope Leo's Invitation to Ponder the "Grandeur of Humanity"

Pope Leo XIV has presented to the Church and to the whole world his much anticipated Encyclical Letter Magnifica Humanitas, wherein he addresses the dignity of the human person and the exigencies of human social life in relation to the vast, newly emerging "information technologies" — especially those that are commonly referred to as "artificial intelligence." From this context he also reflects on the larger contours of the uniquely interconnected global order of our time — with all its important possibilities and dangers — in the light of the Gospel's teaching on human persons created in the image of God and called to live in communion with God and one another.

Many summaries of this book-length Encyclical have already been presented on various media platforms, and quotations from it are already filling up the "meme-verse." Leo has gained the appreciation and attention of Christians and many other people of good will during the first year of his pontificate, and I hope that the present text will be widely taken up and studied carefully. I believe it's worth taking time to read and ponder the teachings of this Encyclical, which is intended to be formative for our understanding and the freedom by which we make decisions as we engage the world of rapidly changing and deeply immersive "environments" of technological development.

I intend to work on the Encyclical slowly and prayerfully, hoping to learn more clearly the ways to follow Jesus faithfully in these astonishing and sometimes-overwhelming circumstances of our times.

It's worth noting the foundation and legitimacy of the Church's "social doctrine," as Pope Leo expresses it early in the text. The Church does not exceed her competence when she addresses concrete temporal realities. Her purpose is not to reduce the Gospel to a partisan political force, but to understand every dimension of human life in light of the integral vocation of the human person:

"The Church, when faced with historical changes, exercises her right and duty to examine social realities, make pronouncements about them and indicate paths for finding just solutions. In this way, the perennial contents of the faith and ancient ecclesial wisdom find expression in a living doctrine that remains faithful to the Gospel while growing in response to the 'new things' of every era" (Pope Leo XIV, Magnifica Humanitas 29).

Pentecost and "The Omnipotence of Love"

Come Holy Spirit! Happy and Blessed Solemnity of Pentecost.

Today we recall the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the followers of Jesus gathered together in the upper room with the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary. On this day the Church was “born,” as the disciples were enlightened and empowered by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses to the saving death and resurrection of Jesus through all the world. 

The icon presented here is from the Maronite Catholic Church, which continues the traditions of the ancient Church of Antioch. The Catholics who live in today’s Lebanon are Maronite. This icon was  “written” in Lebanon by Father Abdo Badawi. Lebanese Christians have suffered much over the past half century from the wars that divide the Middle East, including the present war. Numerous Christian villages in the south of Lebanon have been among those destroyed since the 2026 war began, and over a million people have become refugees.

Pope Leo reminds us today that the Holy Spirit brings peace and reconciliation by changing our hearts. The Spirit works not by the reckless schemes and indiscriminate destruction too often inflicted on the poor by worldly powers, but by “the omnipotence of love” that converts us and draws us to the Heart of Jesus.

"Dear friends, with fervent hearts, let us pray today that the Spirit of the risen One may save us from the evil of war, which is overcome not by a superpower, but by the omnipotence of love. Let us pray that he free humanity from misery, which is redeemed not by immeasurable wealth, but by an inexhaustible gift. Let us pray that he heal us from the scourge of sin through the salvation proclaimed to all peoples in the name of Jesus. This is the grace that instills courage in the Apostles; may he similarly instill it in us, today and always, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church" (Pope Leo XIV, homily for Pentecost 2026).