Only Jesus

Dec. 1 marked my 11th anniversary as a bishop. There are some days when my first day as the bishop of Gaylord seems like yesterday, and others when it seems like a lifetime ago. Never having been involved in diocesan administration and never having lived in Michigan, I knew I had a great deal to learn. I only said “yes” because of my confidence in Pope Benedict, and my belief that the Holy Spirit could work through him.

El 1 de diciembre marcó mi undécimo aniversario como obispo. Hay algunos días en los que mi primer día como obispo de Gaylord parece...

As we approach our national day of Thanksgiving, there will be too many homes with too many empty chairs. There will be homes where someone is missing because they died from COVID19, God rest their souls.

A medida que nos acercamos a nuestro día nacional de Acción de Gracias, habrá demasiadas casas con demasiadas sillas vacías. Habrá hogares donde falta alguien porque murió de COVID19, que Dios descanse sus almas.

Last Sunday we celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints, which is always for me one of the most inspiring feast days of the year. It reminds me that I am not alone and that I am surrounded always by this “great cloud of witnesses” (Heb. 12:1) who are members of the same Church as I am, and who are not only models for me but friends who are helping me to attain the goal of my life.

El domingo pasado celebramos la Solemnidad de Todos los Santos, que siempre es para mí una de las fiestas más inspiradoras del año. Me recuerda que no estoy solo y que siempre estoy rodeado de esta “gran nube de testigos” (Heb. 12:1) que son miembros de la misma Iglesia que yo, y que no solo son modelos para mí, sino amigos. Que me están ayudando a alcanzar la meta de mi vida.

I recently spoke to a former colleague of mine who has been assigned to an exciting ministry halfway around the globe. “It sounds like you’re doing great,” I said. “Too bad you’re so far from your family.” With the wisdom and insight that explains why I’ve considered him such a good friend for decades, he quickly responded: “Whenever we’re working for the Church, we’re never really away from family.”

Recientemente hablé con un ex colega mío que ha sido asignado a un ministerio emocionante en la mitad del mundo. “Parece que lo estás haciendo muy bien”, le dije. “Lástima que estés tan lejos de tu familia”. Con la sabiduría y la perspicacia que explican por qué lo he considerado un buen amigo durante décadas, respondió rápidamente: “Siempre que trabajamos para la Iglesia, nunca estamos realmente lejos de la familia”.