I feel truly blessed when someone, who has some negative feelings about me because of something I said at Mass or to them personally, is willing to speak to me about it in person or over the phone.  Doing so, is answering the call of Jesus, especially in what the Lord said in last Sunday's Gospel (Matthew 18:15-20).

Today, I spent an hour with a parishioner who wanted to talk about something I said in my homily last Sunday.  His concern was with what I said about the Church's teaching about work and the right to a fair wage.  If you want, you can see what I said by pulling up my homily from the parish website.  I would also like to provide a link to a letter written by Bishop Wenski on behalf of the United States Bishops Conference to the United States Senate.  It is:
www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/labor-employment/upload/joint-minimum-wage-letter-2014-01-08.pdf.   I do feel secure when supported by our bishops and firstly, by the Gospel of Jesus Christ which calls on us to love our neighbor and follow ALWAYS the words and example of the Lord.

Please know that I answer my phone and welcome any of you to my office to talk about what's on your mind or in your heart.  I thank the parishioner who came to speak to me the other day about his concerns.  It ended with a handshake and an appreciation for time well spent together.