As you read this, the diocese has a new priest. Fr. Alex Boucher has completed his yes to the call to the priesthood and has been anointed to serve his fellow Christians. We celebrate and give thanks that our parish will have the privilege of welcoming and continuing the formation of young Fr. Boucher.

Over the past few months much of the news we have been paying attention to has something to do with justice. This has mostly been precipitated as we witness acts of violence against our brothers and sisters. We cannot help but cry out for justice as we witness those in power taking advantage of those who have none. We cannot help but cry out for justice when the “haves” get more and the “have nots” become even more poor. We cannot help but cry out for justice when our brothers and sisters are victims of hate, discrimination, or violence because of some aspect of their humanity that they had no choice in making.

While I often set out to offer a bit of wisdom in these ponderings, there are times when I am simply moved to write about something I have seen or heard. Other times I try to offer some teaching that, in the end, offers us hope or reminds us of the abundance of God’s love available to each of us. But this week I thought I would share my opinion with you. Keep in mind that this is just an opinion…there is no science to back up my words. What I present here is just one man’s humble opinion. Put another way, ignoring the coin shortage, let me offer my two cents worth.

This week, at the end of a confession, a man asked me a question. Although I could not see the man, I could tell that his question was cloaked in the weighty garments of despair. His question was one that has been on my mind and I suspect on the minds of most of us these days. He simply asked; with all that is going on in this world what is the point of even trying? While the question was simple the sentiments were anything but. Without faith I would not have been able to offer any answer.