Category: Bishop Morlino’s Columns

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

Enter Christmas season with joy, patience, and love

This column is the bishop’s communication with the faithful of the Diocese of Madison. Any wider circulation reaches beyond the intention of the bishop.

Dear Friends,

I greet you all, and hope and pray that your times of preparation for Christmas have been filled with blessings.

The Church continues to challenge us — a challenge given by our Lord, Himself — to grow and to change as we prepare once again to renew our welcoming of the Lord into our lives.

In the Gospel of this past Sunday we hear Jesus say, “. . . the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed . . . and blessed is the one who takes no offense at me (MT 11:5-6)!”

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

Christ alone is our King, not politicians

Dear Friends,

We find ourselves in the wake of an election season that has divided our country, broken friendships, and even estranged families to an extent I’ve never witnessed in my life.

Now, engaging in and taking the human science/art of politics seriously is an objectively good thing.

But that anyone would or could allow their politics, a candidate, or an election to keep them from talking to a friend or loved one, for any period of time, or to “unfriend” someone is beyond my comprehension.

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

Vote for the future of our nation

Dear Friends,

If you weren’t certain before, after this current election season, I hope you’ve now come to understand and believe that we are not in heaven!

I love the United States of America. I truly believe that our Founding Fathers had it right in so many ways, and that we have enjoyed a country that has provided — albeit still imperfectly — levels of freedom and opportunity for more people than any other in history. Nevertheless, I never made the mistake of thinking that this was heaven, or that some perfect candidate or party was ever going to usher in God’s Kingdom here on earth.

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

Let’s promote eschatological awareness

This column is the bishop’s communication with the faithful of the Diocese of Madison. Any wider circulation reaches beyond the intention of the bishop.

Dear Friends,

The word “eschatology” points to the last things — death, judgment, heaven, and hell. In a certain sense, it’s the most important part of our faith.

Why did God make us? God made us to know, love, and serve Him in this world and to be happy with Him forever in the next! And of course, what is seen in this world passes away, but what is unseen in the next world is eternal. And what is eternal obviously takes priority over what is temporal, what is time-bound.

Most important part of our faith

So the eschatological dimension of our faith is most important, and yet most Catholics don’t consider it very often. Recent surveys reveal that most Catholics are unsure as to whether there is life after death. Many Catholics think that it’s all over with our bodily death here.

That’s terribly sad, and troubling, and it’s partly why I’ve been focusing on eschatology of late. Lacking a proper understanding of eschatology skews our entire perspective on life and reality.

One tendency for those who lack a proper perspective vis-à-vis eschatology is to be completely wrapped up in improving things in this world, without reference to the things of eternity. Of course we want to improve things in this world and, in fact, we need to work hard to improve them — that’s part and parcel of knowing, loving, and serving God in this world.

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

Watching for the Risen Lord together

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Dear Friends,

As autumn approaches as well as the start of the new school year, I hope and pray that the summer has been good to you, each in accord with your needs and the Lord’s Providence.

The summer (though too short, of course) has finished with a great flourish of late, as I’ve been able to bless or consecrate a number of new altars around the diocese.

Parish renovations

In the first place, a few parishes have recently completed renovation projects — some minor but beautiful, some more involved — in order to enhance their sanctuaries and especially to have a fitting place for the tabernacle in the middle of the sanctuary.

Thank you to all the pastors and people who have worked hard on these projects to date. (And thanks to all those who are working on projects for the future.)

In addition, two weeks ago I blessed the lovely chapel built into the tremendous new development at the Catholic Charities’ All Saints Community. It is a fitting centerpiece for that growing retirement community and assisted living facility. Jackson Fonder and his team, along with the All Saints Board, should be proud.

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

Pray for all students and Catholic schools

Dear Friends,

As we come to the end of the school year, it strikes me as a wonderful time to reflect on Catholic schools.

Of course, this is made all the more easy for me as I’ve also just concluded an outstanding Confirmation circuit. It was simply a joy for me to be with our young people from parishes and schools around the diocese, and I have to say that I was very impressed with the young women and men I encountered and with whom I prayed.

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino

The Blessed Mother and the Holy Spirit

This column is the bishop’s communication with the faithful of the Diocese of Madison. Any wider circulation reaches beyond the intention of the bishop.

Dear Friends,

We are right in the middle of the month of May and this past Sunday we celebrated the great Feast of Pentecost, so what better time to say something about the Blessed Mother and the Holy Spirit?

The Blessed Mother’s relationship with the Holy Spirit is powerful and unique.

This is made very clear by some of the most pivotal moments in Scripture and in all of human history.

In the first place, we know that the Holy Spirit overshadowed Our Lady when Jesus was conceived.

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino

Proclaiming the truth about the Ascension

This column is the bishop’s communication with the faithful of the Diocese of Madison. Any wider circulation reaches beyond the intention of the bishop.

Dear Friends,

Why did Christ ascend to heaven? Wouldn’t it have been nice if He had just stayed here on earth and appeared regularly for the rest of history? Wouldn’t it be nice if every so often we could go to a certain place and He would appear? Wouldn’t it be nice if the whole world simply knew the truth and would not have to seek after faith, since they would have regular audiences with Christ, our God? Wouldn’t it be nice!

What was so important that Christ, with His Father and the Holy Spirit, decided not to do it that way? What could be so important? Two things:

Christ is Eternal High Priest

First of all, the Eternal High Priesthood of Christ had to be definitively accomplished, completed, and revealed. And that Eternal High Priesthood was definitively completed and revealed only when Jesus ascended and took His place at the Father’s right hand.

It says in the Hebrew Scriptures, the one who takes his place at the Father’s right hand is, in fact, the Eternal High Priest. “The Lord said to my lord, ‘Sit at my right hand while I make your enemies your footstool . . . You are a priest forever in the line of Melchizedek (Psalms 110: 1, 4)’.”

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

God holds us in His hands at all times

This column is the bishop’s communication with the faithful of the Diocese of Madison. Any wider circulation reaches beyond the intention of the bishop.

Dear Friends,

The readings of this past weekend speak a much-needed word of consolation, hope, and joy to each of us, in the here and now.

I don’t know about each of you (though I’ve heard from a number of you), but in my opinion there are a good number of reasons for concern in our times, and there’s good reason to wonder where things are going — especially in terms of our national political scene.

But in such moments of uncertainty, the followers of Jesus Christ have always been able to consider the ultimate realities and to reflect back upon readings like those of this past weekend.

In the first place, we can consider the context of Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:14, 43-52) as they have begun to go out and preach the Good News far and wide.

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

Some initial comments on Amoris Laetitia

Dear Friends,

There is a great deal to consider and to speak of this week. However, I want first to comment on the readings of this past weekend and specifically upon the Second Reading (Rev 5:11-14), which provide us with a beautiful image of heaven.

In that reading we hear of the vision that St. John had of all creation singing eternally: “To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor, glory and might, forever and ever!” A beautiful, glorious hymn of praise for all eternity is one very reliable picture of what heaven is like.

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