The Silent Partner Speaks

 

Hearing and obeying the voice of the Lord

01/12/2026

Mark 1:14-20 After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Then they left their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.

The Diocese of Little Rock is awash with priestly vocations and we are the envy of many much larger dioceses and archdioceses. And perhaps the most intriguing and inexplicable feature of that phenomenon of many vocations is delayed or older vocations. That is, men who have already had a career and promising futures but abandoned that for a life of solitude, service, and spirituality. Why would a man who basically has the world as his oyster exchange that for a life that looks like so little?

Well, the person we should ask to explain the inexplicable is Fr. Daniel Velasco. Do you remember him? He was the associate priest here at I.C. two associates ago: before Fr. Savio and before Fr. Bala. Fr. Daniel arrived in the height of the COVID pandemic in August of 2020 and stayed for three years, until 2023.

As soon as Fr. Daniel arrived, I could tell how capable and seasoned he was, and advised him: “Don’t unpack your suitcase, you won’t be here very long!” But since his tenure was so long, I can only surmise the bishop sent him here to teach me something not the other way around. And he taught me a lot.

Let me sketch a brief bio of this delayed vocation. Fr. Daniel grew up in Puebla, Mexico and was a very gifted athlete, and he still is. He was an exceptional tennis player in high school and earned a scholarship from Harding University to play tennis for the Church of Christ school.

Fr. Daniel earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and stayed at Harding to complete his Masters in Business Administration. He landed a job with a mid-sized company with branches in Mexico. Besides being business savvy, Fr. Daniel is bilingual which made him a very valuable asset.

But wait, that’s not all. Fr. Daniel is also a highly talented musician who sings and plays the guitar, piano, and organ. He was involved at St. James Church in Searcy, often subbing for the organist when he was out of town. And Fr. Daniel had a German Shepherd named Lola, his faithful friend and companion.

Now, by all earthly standards of success and happiness, Fr. Daniel was living the life of Riley, and he still honed his tennis talents as a 5.0 player, the highest level before turning pro. The man could have made a ton of money in a hundred different ways. And yet he heard a still, small voice in his heart that said: “Come after me, and I will make you a fisher of men.”

And obeying that irresistible Voice, like Simon and Andrew, James and John in the gospel, Fr. Daniel abandoned his nets – his lucrative living in business – and his dog Lola to follow Jesus instead. And Fr. Daniel’s life-ship embarked on a very different sea of solitude, service, and spirituality.

What a great mystery, and indeed what a great miracle every priestly vocation is! Why would a man who has virtually everything give it all up for what looks like practically nothing? Well, I can think of at least two reasons. First, because a divine Voice calls you. That is, God breaks his characteristic silence and invades our peace.

We suddenly sense deeply that I am not alone, even when I am by myself. And that other Person is no longer my silent Partner but he is now asking me something. In fact, He is asking me something very specific and very sacrificial. God invaded Fr. Daniel’s utopian life with Lola, and he could not ignore the call.

The second reason a man might make such a foolish exchange of everything for nothing is that ultimately the human spirit hungers for more than what is listed on this world’s menu. That is why no matter how many pleasure and prizes we pile up in this world, we are never truly satisfied. Something more – or rather Someone more – is always missing. Hence, St. Augustine famously said so long ago: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord. And our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.”

My friends, what we see writ large in the priestly vocation of Fr. Daniel Velasco is what transpires on a smaller, but no less significant, scale in every Christian life. If I were a betting man, I would wager all my money – which is not much, by the way – on the hypothesis that you are here at 7 a.m. Mass for the same two reasons.

One, you have heard that Voice and you know you are never really alone. And this morning he has called you to something specific and sacrificial. And two, what Mass offers you is far greater than another hour of sleep or settling for a donut and coffee on your way to work. Here in the Eucharist is the only thing, nay the only One, who truly satisfies.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

The Only Bad Question

 

Probing questions, controversies, and conundrums

01/10/2026

John 3:22-30 Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea, where he spent some time with them baptizing. John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was an abundance of water there, and people came to be baptized, for John had not yet been imprisoned. Now a dispute arose between the disciples of John and a Jew about ceremonial washings. So they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him.” John answered and said, “No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said that I am not the Christ, but that I was sent before him. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease.”

There is a subtle controversy in the gospel today that you may or may not have noticed. The dilemma revolves around whether Jesus himself was baptizing people. And the gospel of John surprisingly seems to say both that Jesus was and wasn’t. In today’s gospel we read: “Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea where he spent some time with them baptizing.” That verse leaves little doubt that Jesus himself took water and baptized people. Right?

And yet, if we skip ahead to Jn 4:2, we find the opposite in a parenthetical clarification: “Although Jesus himself was not baptizing, just his disciples.” The controversy can be quickly cleared up by noting that sometimes people act under the authority of someone by using their name, even though that authoritative individual is not personally acting.

For example, here at I.C. some staff or parishioners will say, “Fr. John said that is what we are supposed to do…” And when I hear that I wonder: “Did I really say that?” So, too, in the gospel, Jesus is associated with his disciples as if baptizing, although he personally did not pick up and pour the water. His putative proximity to them lends authority to their action.

Now, why spend half this homily considering such a small controversy? What difference does it make in the larger scheme of salvation and damnation? It is similar to the medieval conundrum of, “How many angels can dance on the tip of a needle?” The question seems trivial compared to sin and salvation. (By the way, the answer about the angels is “all of them.”)

And yet, probing such questions and controversies can deepen our faith and help us to appreciate God’s wisdom and love. In other words, there are no bad questions, or better, the only bad question is the one you didn’t ask. So, the question, “Did Jesus himself baptize?” is a good question, and that for many reasons.

Here’s another example of a good question. You know I drive a school bus to Ozark Catholic Academy on Fridays. Yesterday, when we loaded up and pulled out of the OCA parking lot, one bright senior, Genesis Rosales, asked me, “Fr. John, in our bio-ethics class we were discussing organ donation and the definition of death. Can you explain what the Church teaches about death and organ donation?” I thought: “Good thing my mom made some delicious Indian chai latte for the ride home!” So I took a big sip and answered:

“Well, there are two definitions of death: the clinical/medical one, and the ethical/spiritual one. The medical definition of death occurs when the entire brain, including the brain stem, stops functioning irreversibly (all three components are necessary). And fortunately, the Church accepts that medical definition for the purposes of organ donation. But be aware,” I added, “people sometimes push for an earlier moment of death so they can harvest the organ sooner, which is more effective and the organs are more viable.”

Then I took another gulp of the chai, and continued: “But the better definition of death is the spiritual one: the moment when the soul leaves the body, and that is beyond science to detect because it is a spiritual event. In fact, they taught us in the seminary that if you are called to the hospital to anoint someone and the doctor has already pronounced them dead, don’t be discouraged. Feel their arm, and if they are still warm, give them the Last Rites. Why? Because the soul may still be in the body and they can still benefit from the sacraments.”

By the way, every OCA student was listening attentively to every word I said. The chai worked! From there, their questions and our discussion ranged from abortions, to viability of embryos outside the womb, to the principle of double-effect, to IVF and frozen embryos, and ectopic pregnancies. But my point here is that there are no bad questions, or the only bad question is the one you didn’t ask.

So, whenever you come across something that makes you pause and ponder – like did Jesus himself baptize? – don’t just brush it aside as idle curiosity. Look it up in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, or read the relevant footnote in the Bible for that passage, or ask a priest or someone you feel can shed light on the subject. Every question, controversy, and conundrum is a doorway. Open it, and deepen your faith. It will help you appreciate the wisdom and love of God.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Where To Go First

 

Following in the footsteps of Jesus and his Vicar

01/05/2026

Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen. From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people. His fame spread to all of Syria, and they brought to him all who were sick with various diseases and racked with pain, those who were possessed, lunatics, and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan followed him.

Today I want to draw a mental map using our church layout so we might picture the land of Israel in Jesus’ day. First, visualize the center aisle of the church as the Jordan River that runs from the north to the south of Israel. Up here, where you come up to receive Holy Communion, is the Sea of Galilee in the north. And at the other end of the center aisle at the doors of the church is the Dead Sea in the south.

All you people close to the doors are in Jerusalem, like Mary Louise and Laura Farrell. All the people along the side wall by the glass doors are swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, Peggy Correll and Bill and Judy Marry. And so those who sit close to the front of the Sea of Galilee are in Zebulun and Naphtali, like Philip Hindman, Victoria Le, Tony Reith and Danny Meyers. And where the priests and deacons sit is the nations of Assyria and Babylon, the bad guys who kept invading and destroying Israel.

So, let me ask you: where is the most vulnerable and dangerous place to live in Israel? You guessed it: Zebulun and Naphtali. You guys might want to move a little farther back in church. And in the gospel today, where does Jesus go first to begin his public ministry? We read: “He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.”

In other words, Jesus went first to preach the good news and heal and teach to the areas that had suffered the most because they needed to heal his words of comfort the most. If you have been keeping up with Pope Leo XIV, you know the first foreign countries he went to visit were Turkey and Lebanon, not exactly a vacation or resort area.

Why not come to the United States first – he’s the first American pope after all – or some other rich and powerful nation and start building strategic alliances and relationships that could benefit the Church materially and economically? That would be a smart thing to do, right? Maybe. Well, I think he went to Turkey and Lebanon for at least two reasons, maybe more.

First, because like Jesus, he went to where people are suffering and need to hear words of comfort and peace. Pope Leo knows well the old maxim of good preaching: “to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” But second, Pope Leo wants to heal the divisions between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

For example, he met with the Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew and signed a joint declaration to work on a common date for Easter. You may know that Catholics and Orthodox have different dates for Easter. Following in the footsteps of Jesus, Pope Leo in effect traveled to the modern-day Zebulun and Naphtali, where people suffer chronically and the flashpoint of division in the Church.

My friends, the message for us today is to do the same and walk in the footsteps of Jesus and his Vicar. That is, zero in your attention, exert your energy, and marshal your resources to help the Zebuluns and Naphatalis in your life. Isn’t this what all good parents do? If you have 3 children who are well and thriving and one who is sickly and struggling, where will a good mom and dad spend their time and love? Well, to ask the question is to answer it.

And if you remember, Zebulun and Naphtali are not just two geographical places on a map in Israel. They are the two northernmost tribes of Israel that descended from two of the 12 sons of Jacob who was renamed Isreal. Of the 12 children of Jacob, who had suffered the most? Zebulun and Naphtali. And that is why Isaiah chapter 8 had prophesied:

“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen.” And that, by the way, is why we give Communion first to Victoria, Danny, Tony, and Philip.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

David’s Sling

 

New Year’s resolution of praying the daily rosary

01/02/2026

Luke 2:16-21 The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them. When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Last Saturday I was driving to visit some friends and channel surfing, hoping to find some classic rock music: Led Zeplin or ZZ Top. Instead, I stumbled upon a old broadcast of Archbishop Robert Carlson of St. Louis praying the rosary with the seminarians in Kenrick-Glennon Seminary. And I thought: “Well, I guess the rosary is better than rock-n-roll, so I prayed with the good archbishop and his faithful seminarians. But before Archbishop Carlson began to recite the rosary, he gave a little intro that touched me deeply.

He quoted an encyclical by Pope Pius XII on the rosary called “Ingruentium Malorum” (meaning “in the face of approaching evils”). Pope Pius compared Mary’s rosary to King David’s diminutive sling with which, you will recall, he laid low the towering Goliath. In other words, Mary’s rosary, like David’s sling, may look unimpressive on the outside, but it is filled with divine power and can defeat our enemies, especially the devil.

In the gospel of Luke today we hear how Mary herself in effect prayed the first rosary. How so? Well, Luke chapters 1 and 2 recount the five Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. Then the third Evangelist adds: “And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” That is, even though Mary did not hold rosary beads in her hand, she was spiritually clutching David’s sling, in her meditations.

Her contemplative prayers gave her peace and strength against all the Goliath’s that she and her Son had already faced in the first two chapters, and would still have to face in the rest of the gospel. That is what we meditated on in each mystery: the power of God keeping us safe from our enemies, just like he did with David.

Folks, we have arrived at the end of the road of 2025, and now we stare down the barrel of the New Year, 2026. As we look back, we too can probably remember some Goliath’s of 2025 that we had to face both individually and collectively. Personally, I faced the Goliath of losing my dog, Apollo back in September. I never imagined how hard that would be.

And Catholics collectively grieved the death of a good pope, Pope Francis, a loss for the Church and the world. Nonetheless, Catholics who prayed the rosary this past year imitated Mary in the gospel, that is, we “kept all these things and reflecting on them in our hearts.” And clutching David’s sling, we found peace and strength to face down those Goliaths of 2025.

The same can happen as we look forward to 2026, and ask God to bless the coming 365 days. I see my parents on most Fridays and I always leave them with a blessing. I say: “May God bless you with health, happiness, and holiness.” That is my prayer for each of you this New Year’s Day: “May God bless you and your loved ones with health, happiness, and holiness.” But besides those blessings, I suspect God will also send us some Goliaths, like doubts, disease, and death.

Why is every year a mixed bag of blessings and burdens? Well, I saw a meme recently picturing a tall and terrifying Goliath looking menacingly down on a small and innocent David. The caption read: “when God wanted to make a king out of David, He did not give him a crown. He gave him Goliath.” Then the caption continued: “Your challenges prepare you for your purpose.” Every year God wants to make us kings and queens, not by sending us crowns but sending us crosses.

And this is why we begin each new year by turning our eyes to Mary, our Mother. Why? Well, we follow her example in the gospel of meditating on the mysteries of both the blessings and burdens in Jesus and Mary’s life so we can understand the purpose of the blessings and burdens in our own lives. In other words, when we pick up the rosary we arm ourselves with David’s sling to deal with the Goliaths of 2026.

So, if you need a New Year’s Resolution for 2026, don’t just commit yourself to diets and exercise plans and gym memberships. Those resolutions are good, obviously. But in addition, and more so, resolve to pray the rosary every day. Like Mary, take time to “keep these things (both blessings and burdens of 2026), reflecting on them in your heart.” Only by carrying the cross can you wear the crown.

Let me leave you with the inspiring words of Pope Pius XII: “Not with force, not with arms, not with human power, but with Divine help obtained through the means of [the rosary], strong like David’s with his sling, the Church undaunted shall be able to confront the infernal enemy, repeating to him the words of the young shepherd:

“Thou comest to me with a sword and a spear, and with shield, but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of armies…and all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear, for this is his battle, and he will deliver you into our hands” (1 Sm 17: 45-47). And that's why we should pray the rosary before listening to rock-n-roll.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Charged with the Grandeur of God

 

Seeing how Christmas daylight dispel the darkness

12/25/2025

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness,  and the darkness has not overcome it. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God. And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.

I have to confess that around this time of year I suffer from some seasonal depression. I feel kind of sad, emotionally and physically tired, and I get a little grumpy. Does this happen to you? And the culprit is the climate: the decrease in daylight. Have you noticed how at the summer solstice around June 21 every year, the night time spreads longer and longer until the winter solstice around December 21, when we have the longest nighttime, and the shortest daytime. That’s what I feel really down in the dumps.

But then right around Christmas, I start feeling a change, because the daylight starts fighting back. How so? Well, the daylight increases minute by minute until the summer solstice when we experience the longest day and the shortest night. At the height of summer I feel the happiest. You see, even the cosmos conspires to tell the Christian story: Christ the Light defeats the darkness. Gerard Manley Hopkins put Christ’s victory poetically: “The world is charged with the grandeur of God.”

In the gospel today John the Evangelist uses light and darkness to express his feelings about faith. In his profound Prologue, he describes Jesus as the Light of the world, and states boldly: “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” In other words, while the Christian story is played out in the heavens above between daylight and dark, the real story is enacted on earth between Jesus, the Light, and the devil, the Prince of darkness. The coming of Christ at Christmas overcomes the deepest darkness in the heavens and on the earth.

In 2014 Scott Hahn wrote a book about Christmas called: “Joy to the World”. He relates the story about his family taking a pilgrimage to Bethlehem. After a long and boring wait to see the exact spot where Jesus was born, Hahn writes: “I told Hannah (his teenage daughter) it could be an hour’s wait till all our people made it through.

“She sighed a deep teenaged sigh, expressing boredom that approached despair.” By the way, has anyone here heard that “deep teenaged sign, expressing boredom that approaches despair”? You probably heard it in the back seat driving to Mass tonight. But their next stop was an orphanage. Hahn continued:

“Hannah was giddy and practically ecstatic, to be around children instead of monuments. The staff led her to a chair and asked if she would like to hold babies. Hannah gave an eager yes. She cradled the tiny boy in her arms and leaned her face down toward his. Her voice rose an octave as she lavished endearments on him.”

Then Hahn gives this spiritual interpretation of that scene: “As I watched Hannah, radiant in that chair in Bethlehem, I thought of another teenage girl. She, too, had come to this town from far away. Her eighty-mile journey by donkey surely took longer than our non-stop flight from New York. She arrived under circumstances that were less than ideal. She surely had to wait in line and deal with crowds.

“Yet that young woman long centuries ago found fulfillment in Bethlehem – in a baby placed in her arms.” In other words, Hannah, like Mary, overcame the darkness of her adolescent ennui as she peered into the bright eyes of a baby boy cradled in her arms. John the Evangelist was right: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

My friends, we all suffer from seasonal depression, during some “season” of our lives as the Protestants say. Maybe it’s the season of adolescent depression that makes us uncomfortable in our own skin. Perhaps it’s a woman’s season of post-partum depression after the birth of a baby. It could be a man’s season of a mid-life crisis depression, making him want to change his life and change his wife. And finally we all face the depressing season of old age. One friend of mine warns me: “Fr. John, getting old ain’t for sissies!”

Well, let me invite you to enter this church today like Hannah entered that orphanage, and Mary entered Bethlehem. Why? Because there is a Baby here that needs you to hold Him in your arms and cradle him in your heart. But of course, it’s not he who needs you; rather, it’s you who need him. You and I need the Light of the world to scatter the darkness of our seasonal depressions. And that is why this Christmas story has to be retold every year in the heavens above and on earth below.

C. S. Lewis used light and darkness to express his faith, saying memorably: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen not only because I see it but because by it I see everything else.” Lewis perfectly captures the meaning of Christmas: the Son of God is born and his Light scatters the darkness. At Christmas, “the world is suddenly charged with the grandeur of God.”

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Recycle or Revolution

 

Choosing which traditions to keep and discard

12/23/2025

Luke 1:57-66 When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.” But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to  e called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be? For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.”

My Indian culture has a custom of naming babies that can be very confusing, but it’s also kind of cool. We recycle names every two generations. For example, the first-born son is named for his grandfather on his father’s side. The first born-daughter is named for her grandmother on her father's side. The second-born son is named for his grandfather on his mother’s side. And the second-born daughter is named for her grandmother on her mother’s side. Do you see the pattern?

So, let me ask you: since I am the second-born son, who am I named after? You guessed it: I share my maternal grandfather’s name, “Yohannan.” And if a family has more than two boys and two girls, those additional children are given up for adoption. Just kidding, I really don’t know how they are named. But the basic pattern recycles names every two generations. And I feel a special bond with my mom’s dad, even though I never knew him.

The Jewish culture of the 1st century must have had a similar tradition of recycling family names. In fact, the footnote in the USCCB online Bible for Lk 1:59 reads: “The practice of Palestinian Judaism at this time was to name a child at birth…the usual practice was to name the child after the grandfather.” So Malayalees and Middle Easterners share recycling names in common. But Zachariah and Elizabeth break with that Jewish tradition to indicate that something new was dawning.

You see, traditions can serve two purposes. When we follow timeless traditions, we stay firmly rooted in our past, like how I feel a closeness to my maternal grandfather “Yohannan.” But some traditions are made to be broken to usher in a new reality, as in the case of John the Baptist. He would not only usher in Jesus, but a whole “new creation” (2 Cor 5:17), indeed, “a new heavens and a new earth” (Rv. 21:1). In other words, recycling names is sometimes replaced by a revolution.

When my family emigrated to the United States in 1976, we had to make many changes to adapt to our new home. One of those modifications was how we name babies. Obviously, I don’t have any offspring, but my brother and sister have married and used various methodologies to name their children. But rarely did they recycle name like we do in India. So they came up with Noah, Isaac, Sophia, Isabella, Raichel, Luke, Jacob, Adam, and Rebecca, my nieces and nephews.

I sometimes wonder if all the changes in culture and tradition that immigrants to the United States make is not also part-and-parcel of the “American Revolution.” What do I mean? Well, the “revolution” was not only a struggle for the Founding Fathers in 1776; it is relived by more recent founding fathers and mothers arriving on these shores today. But their real challenge is knowing which traditions to keep and which ones to jettison. In other words, how do you not throw the baby out with the bathwater?

Yesterday, I had the funeral Mass for Charlie Kleck. Charlie was born in Morrison Bluff to devout Catholic parents. How do I know they were devout Catholics? Charlie was one of 9 children. Charlie attended Subiaco Academy and remained a practicing Catholic for 93 years. Charlie Kleck was part of a generation of Catholic Americans who decided their Catholic faith was one tradition of their ancestors they would keep, even as they changed others.

But can we say the same for the current generation of Catholics? I went to St. Theresa’s Catholic School in southwest Little Rock and graduated from 8th grade in 1983. By the way, my class was filled with German Catholics: Becks, Ekmans, Gangluffs, Moix, Kordsmeiers, etc. Sadly, only a handful of my Cougar classmates are still practicing Catholics. And I don’t think that trend is uncommon for Gen Xers like me and my friends. That is, our own American revolution meant we threw the baby out with the bathwater, and tragically that was the Baby Jesus.

When Elizabeth and Zachariah decided not to recycle names for their baby and name him John, they were not just trying to pick a cute baby name. They were sparking a revolution no less dramatic than when John Hancock penned his signature at the bottom of the Declaration of Independence. But like with every revolution, the hard part is knowing what part of the past to keep and what to throw away. Some revolutions might throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Yes and No

 

Seeing all sides of the issues and not over simplifying

12/16/2025

Matthew 21:28-32 Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: “What is your opinion?  A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ The son said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards he changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did his father’s will?” They answered, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God before you. When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.”

In the 12th century Peter Abelard popularized a medieval method of logical reasoning with his book “Sic et Non”, Latin for “Yes and No.” Abelard taught philosophy in Paris and wanted his students to probe more deeply into important topics that did not admit of simple yes OR no answers but were better answered by yes AND no responses. That is, he wanted his students to catch shades and degrees of meaning, and that answers to questions are not simply yes OR no, but in fact yes AND no.

Let me give you a few of his statements and see how you might answer them, and they are not as simple as “Will Indiana beat Ohio State again in the national championship?” (1) Must human faith be completed by reason, or not? (2) Does faith only deal with unseen things, or not? (3) May one believe only in God, or not? (4) Is God a single unitary being, or not? Now, since the title of the book is Sic et Non, we know what the correct answer is. What is left is to logically reason why the answer is both yes and no.

Well, Peter Abelard would have been very happy to read today’s gospel where the correct answer is both yes and no. When a man asks his two sons to go to work in the vineyard, the first says “I will not,” but in fact goes. The second responds, “Yes sir!” but fails to act. Then, Jesus asks: “Which of the two did his father’s will?” And the chief priests and elders (like you and I) answered, “The first.”

Jesus’ real point, like Abelard’s, was to help his interlocutors probe deeper into true obedience versus mere lip service. He wanted them to do some sincere self-examination, namely, the chief priests and elders words were right and good - they said "Yes" - but their actions failed to follow through.

Whereas the tax-collections and prostitutes’ actions were better when they repented, although their original words offended God, in effect saying, “No” to his will. In other words, when we examine things simply and only on the surface, things appear black OR white, yes OR no. But on closer inspection, the correct answer is more complex and more accurate, namely, yes AND no.

Did I ever tell you about the professor at the University of Dallas that I both hated AND loved? He taught us Russian literature like Dostoyevsky’s “Crime and Punishment.” We had to read a chapter or two and discuss it in class. But he never gave us the correct answer (or any answer) on how to interpret the classic. Instead, he asked: “Why did Raskolnikov kill his land lady?” “Why did Sonia not give up on loving Raskolnikov?” “Why didn’t Porfiry immediately arrest Raskolnikov?”

I hated that class because I felt we wasted tons of time listening to students spout off inane answers; whereas my professor could have given us the correct answer in a few seconds. But he was teaching us to think harder, to analyze characters, to perceive the plot and the narrative arc. Now, when I read a book or watch a movie, I constantly ask: “Why is he doing that?” “What is the point of the plot?” “Who are the main protagonist and antagonist?” In short, I had learned to think for myself instead of being spoon-fed like a baby.

My friends, as you go through your day, be aware of the temptation to see life in overly simplistic terms: Yes OR no, black OR white, conservative OR liberal, Republicans OR Democrats, the United States OR Russia, tennis OR pickleball. Well, actually pickleball is really from the devil and should be outlawed. In other words, life is rarely (if ever) that simple or straight-forward. And the desire for that simplistic view reflects an adolescent state of mind.

Rather, try to see the truth on both sides of the aisle and appreciate all perspectives. I advise engaged couples preparing for marriage: you will not agree on every issue but at least try to respect the other person’s opinion. The worst thing you can say is, “Well, that’s stupid.” Sadly – at the other end of the narrative arc of marriage – when people divorce, one person usually paints the other as the villain and themselves as the victim.

But rare is the ex-spouse who can humbly say: “Yes, he had his faults, but I contributed to the failure of our marriage, too.” There is great hope that person’s next marriage will be more successful. Why? Because they have learned that life is a lot less “yes or no” and a lot more “yes and no.”

Praised be Jesus Christ!