These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.

Saint John Paul II, Pope, October 22

I know that good does not dwell in me . . . . (Rom 7:18-25)

In today’s passage from the Letter to the Romans, Saint Paul is describing the internal conflict we all experience: our mind wants to do the good, but our bodies don’t cooperate. The power to overcome this very human struggle does not come from us . . . rather as Saint Paul declares: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Today is the feast of Saint John Paul II. When she returned to her home after her trip to Rome, all my mother’s friends jokingly asked her: “Norma, who is that man in the picture with you and Morris?”