News - August 2017 RSS Feed

On August 12, 2017, a young man from Ohio slammed his car into a crowd of protestors and onlookers at Charlottesville, VA. A young woman died and many more people suffered serious injuries. On the same day two state troopers were killed when their helicopter accidentally crashed while assisting in law enforcement efforts.

Today I conclude my reporting of an address to the Napa Institute that Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles gave earlier this year. Archbishop Gomez encouraged his audience to recognize the great mission to America that was inspired by Our Lady of Guadalupe and to realize that mission was still continuing. To this purpose Archbishop presented a spiritual interpretation of the Guadalupe story in light of the present situation in our country.

We will celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption on Tuesday of this week. I saw a report of a talk that Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles recently gave at the Napa Institute. His remarks are very timely as we prepare to gather for Mass on the Solemnity of the Assumption.

In last week’s column I proposed that we look at practicing the works of mercy as way to answer the following question. In a world divided by economics and education, social status and political opinions, race and religion, what can I do this week to bring people together? I want to continue that conversation in this week’s column. Let’s look at some works of mercy and some concrete ways to practice them as suggested by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).