“Yo, priest! You best check yo’self!” A priest who taught me the faith when I was a boy used to tell this story. Once, when he was leading a group of high school students on a pilgrimage to the March … Continue reading
hoefer
Remember Death
We are all going to die. We were reminded of this on Ash Wednesday when the priest put ashes on our heads saying, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” We need to be reminded about … Continue reading
The Gamaliel Principle
It’s another swelteringly hot day in Jerusalem and many good Jews, on their way into the Temple for worship, stop for a break in the shade of Solomon’s Portico. There they find a group of men (twelve to be exact) … Continue reading
What are you?
“So, what ARE you, anyway?” This is a question Dominicans get asked frequently. People don’t expect to see a bunch of young and joyful men wearing 13th-century garb—who are not play actors. I typically give the answer that we are … Continue reading
To Be In That Number
“Oh, Lord, I want to be in that number, when the Saints go marching in!” Like every good New Orleanian, I always interpreted the song “When the Saints Go Marching In” as a prophecy of the impossible regarding the day … Continue reading