Just an old man out standing in his field.

    Bishop Daniel E. Thomas celebrates the Ritual Mass for the Ordination of Several Priests on June 27, 2020 at Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral in Toledo, Ohio. Photography By: © Scott W. Grau

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    Where are “they”?

    I suspect this morning’s reflection might be a bit ramblingly obtuse.  For years I’ve done research on an early American priest in the backcountry wilderness of Kentucky. I’ve collected reams of information, mostly from the archives of hand-written correspondence, between this priest and other priests, as well as with America’s first bishop, Rev. Mr. John Carroll.  I once searched the newspaper archives to see if his name anywhere appeared, and sure enough the only place it did was in an occasional listing of early 19th century undelivered mail at the Lexington post office. As far as I could tell, this…

    Marcus Grodi's avatar by Marcus Grodi

    Latest Posts

    • Pick Up Sticks

      The task that faced me this morning is in the photo above. Last fall a powerful wind storm passed through our county dropping trees everywhere. It passed directly over our Highland valley cottage farm, bringing down this particular cluster of sassafras, wild cherry, and locust, all entangled with spice bushes, multiflora rose, and grape vines. The intimidating pile fell across our perimeter fence, blocking the path that runs beside it, which you can barely see. Over the years, this suburban city-slicker, lately-turned wanna-be-farmer, has learned many needed rural skills, as well as the necessary cautions, whenever faced with such a… Continue reading

      Pick Up Sticks

    • “As the good book says … but who am I to tell You what the good book says!”

      So prays Reb Tevyve, the papa and lead character in the wonderful musical play, Fiddler on the Roof. For most of the past thirty-plus years, I had the privilege of founding and leading the Coming Home Network, which continues now under the leadership of my son, Jon Marc.  The work of the Coming Home Network is all about truth: helping our separated brethren—family and friends—recognize the fullness of faith found in the Catholic Church. Jon Marc and his staff and volunteers attempt to do this through many means, but in the end we all know that “conversion happens” primarily through… Continue reading

      “As the good book says … but who am I to tell You what the good book says!”

    • Wars and Rumors of Wars

      As I write this, we are five days into the battle between the combined forces of the United States and Israel against the Republic of Iran. And who knows how much this war might escalate by the time this post is published. But due to the pervasive voices of modern digital technology, our Lord’s warning, from His Olivet Discourse, that we “will hear of wars and rumors of wars”, has never been more true. Few in the world today have not heard, but what does this mean? It’s significantly disturbing to consider the innumerable answers to this question, again available… Continue reading

      Wars and Rumors of Wars

    • Where does Water Come From?

      Ask any child, “Where does water come from?” and the usual answer will be, “From the faucet, stupid!” Well, they may not add the injective, but if you pressed them on this—“You mean that’s all there is to it? Water just comes from the faucet?”—they might respond with conviction, “Of course not! You have to turn the knob first! Here, let me show you.” You might get a similar response if you asked where electricity comes from or where television programs or YouTube videos come from. “From the wall socket, from the television, or from my laptop!” Oh, and of… Continue reading

      Where does Water Come From?

    • To Worship, to Witness, and to Love

      We’ve all seen The Wizard of Oz, which is pretty much all about Dorothy doing everything possible to get back home to Kansas. But when the fake wizard floats away in the out-of-control balloon and she believes she has lost all hope, what is she told? The Good Witch tells her that she has had the means of getting home all along, in those two ruby red slippers. I know this is probably a dumb analogy–and it’s probably been used in this way myriad of times before–but it reminds me of how most of us think about our baptisms. In… Continue reading

      To Worship, to Witness, and to Love

    • Grampa’s Morning Out

      I’m a grandfather. I didn’t just become one—I’ve been one for fifteen years. And I’ve got six wonderful grandchildren—with a seventh on the way, praise be to God! Actually, I should say Marilyn and I are grandparents. Marilyn is the good grandparent, the cuddly one, the one to whom the grandchildren naturally gravitate. I’m the old grouchy guy over in the corner. We live about three hours from our grandkids, so we don’t see them as much as we wish, but when we’re able, the six run to us with welcome glee! After a quick perfunctory hug around my legs,… Continue reading

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      Grampa’s Morning Out

    • Too Busy

      Tradition has it that about two thousand years ago, along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, there lived a man named Jethro ben Tubizzi. He made a living repairing kitchen appliances such as oil lamps, grinding wheels, and spatulas. One Saturday afternoon, his usual day off, his neighbor, the blind Methuselah ben Hoepin, came feeling his way along the street wall to Jethro’s front door.  “Jethro, you there?” “Where else?” “Did you hear? Remember that preacher man from Nazareth I told you about?” “How could I not hear? Every time I go to a home to fix something, that’s… Continue reading

      Too Busy

    • Groaning to Find the World Saved

      It’s seems everywhere we turn new statistics and polls are heralding a grand revival of spiritual rebirths and conversions, even in the most unexpected places and cultures, and not just here in America but all around the world. I just read yesterday about the dramatic, unexpected increase in the number of baptisms, confirmations, RCIA candidates, conversions, and even confessional lines happening in various Catholic dioceses across America. And this increase is not just in Catholic Churches but in Protestant churches of nearly every stripe, particularly among evangelically-minded denominations. What’s especially surprising to an old, stuck-in-the-mud Boomer like me is that… Continue reading

      Groaning to Find the World Saved

    • Entropy All Over Again

      Have you ever heard of the term “entropy”? Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “entropy” as “the degradation of the matter and energy in the universe to an ultimate state of inert uniformity.” Okay. More simply, though, entropy measures the natural movement in Nature of order to disorder. Without the input of energy to establish and maintain order, everything in Nature moves toward disorder (and this can be scientifically proven by looking into any adult male’s sock drawer).  This is not just a physical law, for it also applies to our spiritual life, i.e, “spiritual entropy.” If we neglect to take time to… Continue reading

      Entropy All Over Again

    • The Necessity of Continuous Conversion

      After 45+ years of ministry, in a variety of different Christian traditions, I’ve come to the deep conviction that every single person needs continuous conversion—especially when it comes to me. The core of this post I first penned twenty years ago, but I believe it now even more, given the rise of spiritual counterfeits, running unchecked on the digital blogosphere, bombarding us, our children, and our grandchildren. My spiritual background, which was an ever-evolving mixture of Lutheran, Congregationalist, Calvinist, Charismatic, and evangelical tenants, pretty much ignored the need for any kind of continuous conversion. From my first attendance at a… Continue reading

      The Necessity of Continuous Conversion