Two very different men, facing different sets of dire challenges with prophetic courage, faithfully journeyed along two different paths to the same destination: sainthood! Who would have predicted it?

“But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

It’s that time of year again, when many children, teens and adults fortunate enough to have access to formal education (see: https://bit.ly/1Yf2IzZ), head back to school to learn about such things as math, science, history and the arts.

In the last judgment scene of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus sends a severe warning that hell awaits those who ignore meeting the essential human needs of the poor and vulnerable – and thus likewise, ignore him.

Every Monday morning for the past 30 years, members of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker community in Washington, D.C. have been making their way across the Potomac River to pray and nonviolently witness for peace in front of the most symbolic war planning, war-making headquarters on earth: the Pentagon.

On July 25, 1968 – in the midst of the “sexual revolution” which aggressively promoted premarital sex, pornography, homosexual activity and artificial contraception – Pope Paul VI with the courage of a prophet gave the Catholic Church and world an entirely different message. In his encyclical letter Humanae Vitae (“Of Human Life”), soon to be canonized Pope Paul VI prophetically predicted that contraception would “open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards.” He also accurately predicted government coercion in pressuring the use of contraceptive methods.

Pope Francis has not only inherited, but continues to earn the title pontiff – “bridge-builder.” His latest major effort to oppose divisive walls and instead construct unifying bridges was his hosting of a July 7 unprecedented ecumenical gathering of Middle Eastern Christian leaders in Bari, Italy. Pope Francis, together with patriarchs and representatives of several Orthodox churches, Oriental Orthodox churches, Eastern Catholic churches, and representatives of the Lutheran church and Middle East Council of Churches, prayed for peace and discussed possible paths toward peace, in the war-torn land of the Prince of Peace. In his introductory address, Pope Francis denounced the large indifference displayed by so many individuals and nations to the long suffering of so many brothers and sisters in Christ along with other persecuted people of the Middle East.

In the early months of his papacy, Pope Francis felt the urgent need to courageously preach on the actual existence of the devil, and the grave dangers of not taking his existence seriously (see: 1 Peter 5:8-9). Francis said “It is true that at that time, they could confuse epilepsy with demonic possession; but it is also true that there was the devil! “And we have no right to simplify the matter, as if to say: ‘All of these people were not possessed; they were mentally ill.’ No!

Challenging world oil executives to recognize the urgent environmental need to quickly transition from fossil fuel extraction and burning, to clean energy production, Pope Francis called them to take to heart that “Civilization requires energy, but energy must not destroy civilization.” Gathering the heads of some of the world’s largest oil and gas corporations – including ExxonMobil, BP, and Royal Dutch Shell – to the recent “Energy Transition and Care for our Common Home” Vatican conference

Making a Difference Why are people poor? It’s not because there aren’t enough resources to go around. For one thing, the world produces enough food to adequately feed every single person. Well then what are the reasons? Among the major reasons poverty exists are unemployment, underemployment, lack of health care and education, hunger, homelessness, undocumented immigration status, climate change and war.

As the United States approaches its annual day to remember the more than 1 million American combatants who have died in the country’s many wars, it is most appropriate to ask ourselves, “What would be the wisest and most loving way to celebrate Memorial Day?”

Rejoice and be glad, Jesus is calling you to be holy! Ah, but you might say “Holiness is for saintly people like the pope. But the pope says holiness is for you and me, and that everyone is called by God “to be holy and blameless before him in love” (Eph. 1:4).

Do you remember the childhood story Stone Soup? It’s an old folk tale about a couple of hungry travelers who creatively entice hesitant villagers to fill their large cooking pot with delicious soup ingredients.

Christ is risen! Truly, he is risen! Jesus Christ has conquered sin and death. We know that God has the final word. And that word is love. For “God is love” (1 Jn. 4:8). The kingdom of God which Jesus ushered into the world is at hand. But, and this is an all important critical “but,” we must repent, and believe in the Gospel. Walking in the footsteps of Jesus we must to the best of our ability think, feel, speak and act as he did. And we need to do it now. For this day, this moment, is the time of fulfillment (Mark 1: 15).

When a disciple of Jesus takes his or her prophetic baptismal call seriously, that person’s words and actions live on long after he or she leaves this world. An outstanding example of this truth is found in the prophetic discipleship of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. who with selfless courage, faithfully lived out his God-given mission 50 years ago – albeit ending tragically too short.

Robin Hood, the legendary hero of English folklore who took from the rich to give to the poor – whose very name conjures up thoughts of fairness, justice and love for the oppressed – stands in stark contrast to President Trump who wants to take from poor and give to the rich. The recent congressional Republican sponsored tax legislation signed into law by Trump gives huge tax cuts to wealthy individuals and profit-rich corporations. And as a result the federal deficit will astronomically increase.

“To call the world’s nuclear situation dire is to understate the danger and its immediacy,” warned Rachel Bronson, Ph.D., president of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

As countless fellow human beings suffer terribly in a myriad of ways, and much of our planet groans from gaping human induced wounds, our government, other governments, and many well-off people, seem to hardly care. It is what Pope Francis calls a “globalization of indifference.”

What a wonderful sight to behold: From Capitol Hill as far as I could see, there was a sea of people on the march for life! But the recent 45th March for Life was bitter sweat. It was inspiring to see so many people, from so many states, marching on behalf of our unborn brothers’ and sisters’ right to be born. But it was sad to think that we have been marching for 45 years – with no end in sight.

Last year was a rough one in many ways. President Donald Trump’s and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s exchange of insults and violent threatening language, put the world on edge that nuclear war was, and still is, quite possible.