St Clement of Rome Catholic Church

Many years ago, a colleague sat me down for a “wisdom” conversation. For more than an hour, he shared the story of his family and career. Then in his late fifties, he was filled with regret because of foolish choices, incomplete relationships, and precious time lost. Perhaps the nineteenth century American poet, Henry David Thoreau, best summed up his feelings when he wrote: Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in…

Let me paraphrase the gospel passage for the First Sunday of Advent: This world has ominous sings in the sun, the moon and the stars. There are many nations in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the elements. People are dying of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world. Our world is indeed crisscrossed by heart-wrenching tragedies, by devastating calamities, by deadly, age-long feuds, barbaric, unspeakable acts of violence, deep divisions and prolonged wars. There might even be signs indicating…

I don’t know who first uttered these words but they set forth a truly important bit of wisdom: If there is nothing above us we will be consumed by all that is around us. Our nation’s Founding Fathers recognized its truth when they wrote: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Our human dignity,…

Jesus said to his disciples:“In those days after that tribulationthe sun will be darkened,and the moon will not give its light,and the stars will be falling from the sky,and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. “And then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in the clouds’with great power and glory,and then he will send out the angelsand gather his elect from the four winds,from the end of the earth to the end of the sky. “Learn…