As we hear in today’s scripture readings, Advent means some serious business. Transitioning weapons of war into life-giving agricultural implements? Waking up in the darkness when we’d rather fall back to sleep? Being ready to face that last judgment before the eyes of Christ who knows the depths of our hearts—what we’ve done and what we’ve failed to do? No way around it, preparing for the Lord’s coming will be hard work. Much harder than stringing lights or sending cards. These four Advent weeks—and this year with Christmas on a Su...

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A few weeks ago, I talked about listening to you, to your voices. But, we’re also called to listen to the silent moments. One of those silent moments happens around 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoons at St. Boniface. Confession time. The Saturdays I’ve been in that room, sometimes I’m alone for the whole time. Sometimes one, three, maybe four people come to the sacrament. What does that silence tell me? Not that sin has disappeared. Nor that God’s mercy has run out. It tells me we’re in that room at the wrong time. Some years ago, when this Diocese ...

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Confession

We asked you what you thought. You told us. Now it’s our turn to respond. In the spring, many of you participated in the Synodality conversation—listening sessions here in the parish, surveys on the diocesan level. The reports of those conversations—on parish, diocesan, national levels—are coming back. Some items have risen to the surface on every level. You’ve told us that you wanted to know what your Church teaches. You’ve told us you wanted your children and grandchildren—and not just the little kids, but those moving through you...

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