I can’t remember how long we have been living with this COVID pandemic. It seems like a long, long time. And, it has taken a toll on all of us.

We live in a rapidly changing world. Every hour of every day we are met by dramatic new developments affecting us personally, affecting us as a nation, as a Church and as a global community.

There is a significant difference between “may” and “must.” This is a key point in the ongoing conversation regarding the ethics of vaccines and vaccine mandates, including COVID vaccines.

This is the sixth and final installment of a series on the Precepts of the Church.

The Precepts of the Church, which I have been reflecting on in this series of articles, are laws established by the pastoral authorities of the Church.

Continuing this series on the Precepts of the Church that I began several weeks ago, I would like to consider now to the third precept: “You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season” (CCC 2042).

As we come out of the COVID desert and return to more normal routines, I thought it might be timely to offer reflections on the Precepts of the Church.

As a teen growing up in a Catholic home there was never any doubt about where I belonged on Sunday morning.

How are we to live? This is the question that the Church seeks to answer through its moral teaching. The Christian moral life often is misunderstood and frequently presented in a distorted manner.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Greetings in the Risen Lord! May these glorious days of Easter be a season of joy and renewal for you and your loved ones.

Throughout the Easter season the Church’s newest members continue to reflect upon the meaning of their experience at the Easter Vigil when they were fully initiated into the mystery of Christ and his Church through Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist.

As the Church enters Holy Week and celebrates another Paschal Triduum, we may be questioning what Easter really means for us. We have been through a lot this year. It has been a year of pandemic and unrest and turmoil. Death has cast its shadow over us in unexpected ways.

One year ago, the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was identified in Oklahoma. Who imagined at that time its impact or the changes that were in store for us? Since last March there have been more than 425,000 COVID cases in Oklahoma and more than 7,200 COVID deaths.

I am ready for Lent this year. Please don’t misunderstand me. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Something within always resists Ash Wednesday’s sober call to repentance and a reorientation of my life.

It has been almost a year since COVID-19 became a household word in our nation. Virtually every aspect of our lives has been impacted by this global pandemic. Certainly, the life of the Church in our archdiocese has been dramatically affected as well.

Within 48 hours of the inauguration of Joseph R. Biden as the 46th President of the United States, and only our second Catholic president, Archbishop Gomez’s statement issued the same day proved to be prescient. 

For those who had imagined that merely ringing in the new year might bring a swift end to the nightmarish events of 2020, the eruption of violence at our nation’s Capitol burst that bubble.

The season of Advent is our time of preparation for the coming of the Lord. He comes in history, in mystery and in majesty.

So many things are out of rhythm this year. The pandemic has upset our customary points of reference. The school year, our work environment, sports seasons, travel and holidays are all up for grabs.

This week, we will observe Thanksgiving. It is perhaps the most distinctly American of our national holidays. Normally Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the “holiday season.”