Ellicott City

June 21, 2026 Peace and Good, It is a nice, quiet day in Ellicott City. I celebrated Mass at the Catholic Community of Relay this morning. They are a small faith community which is not quite a parish, but they are recognized by the archdiocese. The community has a lot of people who don't find themselves at home in traditional parishes. The liturgy is always a little bit less organized than one would see in a parish, but it is also very human and welcoming. This past weekend was the Feast of St. Anthony. I had a small part in the celebration which was to run a question and answer session. It always enjoy those moments for it gives people a chance to ask questions that they didn't know to whom they might address them. I sometimes hold an informal session after one of our daily Masses here at the shrine. This past Monday I had the administration of the Sacrament of Anointing after the Mass which I celebrated. People really appreciate it. We had about 40 people receive it. Ths is largely due to the fact that our community at the daily Mass (at noon) tends to be older. The weather has been hot and hotter. I am finding that I have a rough time with the heat, and have to ask my doctors if it is a by-product of my medicines or of my chemotherapy. I have been helping a lady by editing a book she wrote on Eucharistic Miracles. She asked me to write a forward to the book, which I was glad to do. I always like to help other authors. I also finished a project to write short meditations for the Sunday Liturgies for this year, the Year of St. Francis. I still have three months to go with the meditations for Tuesdays, showing how St. Anthony was a true disciple of St. Francis. I will be giving a weekend retreat at Priestfield, WV, this coming weekend for the secular Franciscans. I always like working with them, and Priestfield is a really nice site. I finished some reading and listening: The Fisherman’s Tomb: The True Story of the Vatican’s Secret Search by John O’Neill This is an account of the excavations done under St. Peter’s Basilica to search for the tomb and relics of St. Peter. Tradition held that Peter was buried under the main altar, but his relics had not been seen in centuries. Pope Pius XII organized a secret search for the tomb during World War II. Some relics were eventually found which could easily be those of Peter, especially given the scientific proof that they were from a man of Peter’s age and background and the fact that graffiti around the place where they were found speak of Peter. Home Tonight by Henri Nouwen As with all of Nouwen’s books, this one emphasizes the overwhelming love and mercy and acceptance of God. The title comes from what a man with Down’s Syndrome would say to everyone in one of the Larch communities in which Nouwen lives, “Are you going to be home tonight.” Of course, Nouwen reinterprets the question to something which concerns being home with God. Graham Greene: Bipolar Catholic by Alex Terego This is part of a series of short books on Catholic figures. This one is about Graham Greene who became a Catholic to marry a Catholic woman. He believed throughout his life even as he doubted. He once said that his tendency to disbelieve was not strong enough to keep him disbelieving. He travelled extensively, especially to wild and dangerous places and one has to wonder how much was for adventure and how much was almost a death wish. The book gave me a lot to think about. The Brain: A Very Short Introduction by Dennis Holland The Very Short Introduction is a series of book which on audio run between four and six hours. They tend to be a series of lectures on various aspects of the main theme. This one of the biology and chemistry and function of the brain is quite informative. Prophets I: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Baruch by William Anderson This is a book intended for lay Bible study groups. It is not overly academic, and a good resource. I found it useful for reviewing topics. Great Masters: Liszt by Robert Greenberg This is part of the Great Courses music courses. Greenberg is great is giving the biography and outlining the music genres that the composer produced. I cannot say that I like Liszt’s music in any way, but at least now I know I don’t like it because I have studied it a bit. Reconstruction: A Very Short Introduction by Allen Guelzo Guelzo is a scholar of the Civil War, and this is a short introduction to the period after the war. Each volume in the series is between 3 and 5 hours long, and they provide quite a bit of information on various topics. This one is very well done, and it deals with the end of the Civil War, the period right after the war (both on ground and in the political sphere) and the long term consequences of choices made in those early years. The Prophetic Imagination by Walter Brueggemann This is a book I read long, long ago. It wasn’t quite as good as I remember it being. It is based on the premise that the powers that be have set up a system which hinders criticism of any form. The role of the prophet (in OT times and the present) is to vision a different future and to share that view with his listeners, even if that means that the prophet will have to pay a great price for his/her audacity. British Politics: A Very Short Introduction by Tony Wright This short book gives a good overview to the British system of government. I always believed that the parliament was a body in which all opinions were shared without fear, but the author presents it as an example of party politics (which controls who runs, what policies are to be held, etc.). He speaks of possible events (such as Brexit) which challenge the accepted system. Orthodox Christianity: A Very Short Introduction by A. Edward Siecienski This is a short overview of those who worship in the Eastern Church (not united with Rome). The author gives good definitions and explanations for why things are the way that they are. He speaks of some of the fragmentation of the Church due to political and ethnic tensions. He presents some of the spirituality of the Orthodox liturgy and Christian life. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and the Cosmic Christ by Alex Terego This is part of a series on famous Catholics in the 20th century. The author gives a good biography and explanation for the teaching of Teilhard. He explains the difficulties he faced with his Jesuit superiors and especially with the Vatican (especially since Teilhard tried to unite the concepts of evolution with theology). The work was well done. Mysterious Etruscans by Steven Tuck This is a Great Courses offering. I viewed a course by Tuck on Pompey, and both in that and this present course he offers great insights, copious information, and he does that with a lite touch (not overly academic but very informative). The Etruscans are viewed as a community that was important at the birth of Rome, which shared much of their culture with Rome, and which was eventually conquered by Rome (largely because they refused to unite to form a single power against the incursions of Rome but rather faced it as disorganized city states. Have a good week. Shalom fr. Jude