Category: Bishop Morlino’s Columns

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

Have faith in the invisible realities

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,

This past weekend we celebrated our Second Sunday of Easter — Divine Mercy Sunday — and the readings point in a particular way to the way we as a Christian people are called to respond, when acting simply in faith.

In the Gospel, we saw our Lord appear in His resurrected body, and we heard him speak to Thomas and the Apostles saying, “Blessed are they who have not seen but have believed (Jn 20:29).” These are words which are terribly important for our country and for our culture and for our day and age.

Some say truth found only in science

Our country and our culture and our day and age have tried to convince us that the only truth is to be found in science, that is, seeing what is visible by some method of physical observation, by some scientific method. If there is some kind of physical seeing possible, then we have truth. I see it with my own eyes!

Our strides in science are wonderful and our knowledge impressive, but what does Jesus say to us? “Blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The Gospel tells us that knowledge by grace, knowledge from God’s point of view, gives us far more certainty than science, which is limited to picturing how things go in the physical world. We continue to have a greater and greater understanding of how things work in our physical world, but there is far more to understand.

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

Recognizing the ‘glance’ of Jesus

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,

As I write down a few thoughts here, we are entering — with heavy hearts — into the great and holy week during which we accompany Jesus in His terrible suffering and death.

As we go through Holy Week we shall hear a great many words — from the beautiful language of the sacred liturgies, to the readings themselves — including the telling of the Passion story, and of course, the many readings of the Easter Vigil.

From “Hosanna” to “Alleluia,” we will hear told, and even witness represented, the story of our own salvation.

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

How to face anger and show mercy like Jesus

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 Gospel reading of this past weekend (Jn 8:1-11) provides a portrait of Jesus in the face of intense anger and hatred and it leaves us with two key points: 1) how we might react to diffuse such situations, and 2) the importance and the inseparable nature of mercy and repentance.

Out to get Jesus

Now, the Gospel really shows us the Pharisees and the Scribes at their worst. They are out to get Jesus.

Let’s recall the story — some people have begun to question whether Jesus is the Messiah and He has therefore begun to get the Scribes and the Pharisees pretty upset.

They are ready to be done with Him, but first they need to trip Him up so as either to give them an airtight case against Him, or to arouse the ire of the people, or both.

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

Let there be gratitude — and joy!

Dear Friends,

This past Sunday’s Gospel featured a story that we all know well. The minute the “Story of the Prodigal Son” begins, we can say, “Well, I know how this ends,” and instead of paying attention, our minds might wander to one of a thousand different things.

It’s an understandable temptation, but I hope you didn’t do that, because every time we hear that familiar reading, it should be something that hits us very concretely and powerfully, because it turns out to be about you and me. It turns out that the Lord wants to say something to you and me about that reading and through that reading each time, that He has never said before.

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

Reflecting upon Word of God and Natural Law

Dear Friends,

Prior to launching into a reflection upon our readings from this past Sunday, I find myself desiring to reflect for a moment upon the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, of our United States Supreme Court.

I only met Justice Scalia twice, very briefly, and so my reflections are not necessarily drawn from personal experience. But they are certainly from the reliable and personally related experience of his family and of friends, who were very close to the Justice.

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison

In spite of our sinfulness, God rescues us

Dear Friends,

By the time that you read this, we’ll likely have jumped right into Lent. It’s one of those years in which the gap between the end of Christmas and the start of Lent is a bit abrupt. Nevertheless, in so many ways, the readings of this past Sunday end up being particularly fitting for a pre-Lenten exhortation — especially in this Year of Mercy!

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

Rejoice during the Year of Mercy

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,

This past Sunday — Gaudete or “Rejoice” Sunday — provided plenty of reason for rejoicing.

In addition to our celebration of the rapidly approaching Feast of Christmas (which celebrates not only the Incarnation of the Lord, but also our hope in the Second Coming) we marked, in a particular way, the beginning of the Year of Mercy in the Diocese of Madison.

Opening the Holy Doors

On this past Sunday we opened the Holy Doors, which are present at the two sites of the Cathedral Parish (St. Patrick Church and Holy Redeemer Church) and at the Schoenstatt Founder Shrine.

As I mentioned in my letter for the opening of the Year of Mercy, these doors should be a place of pilgrimage for us and they bear with them a plenary indulgence granted by Pope Francis.

It should be noted, however, that the indulgence does not simply come upon passing through the doors. There is spiritual conversion that is to be done. You need to grow in freedom from the attachment to sin.

A primary symbol of this Year of Mercy is the entrance through the Holy Doors. So, I encourage you to take the time and consider making several pilgrimages through one of the Holy Doors of Mercy.

In the second reading of this past Sunday (Phil 4:4-7) we have that wonderful admonition from the Lord. “Rejoice in the Lord always! Rejoice!”

Now, if you look around the world with all the violence, and at the collapse of the culture in our own country, and at the war against the Natural Law, against the law of human reason, which is being waged, there’s reason not to rejoice.

But St. Paul says to rejoice anyway — “Rejoice in the Lord always!” Nothing is so big that it can conquer the joy of Christ. Nothing.

Keeping Christ in the forefront

This Year of Mercy could also be called the “Big Picture Year,” where we keep the big picture in mind — Jesus Christ is still risen from the dead!

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