Articles by Rusty Montgomery
Not So Ordinary
Jan 12, 2009 / 00:00 amWelcome to Ordinary Time. Wow, how exciting does that sound?! Christmas is over, the baptism of the Lord was this past Sunday and today, when the priest processed in for Mass, I was thrown off by the green color of his vestment. Where did the time go?!
New Year, Same Promise
Jan 5, 2009 / 00:00 amBrothers and sisters, all you who are listening to my words: this proclamation of hope – the heart of the Christmas message – is meant for all men and women. Jesus was born for everyone, and just as Mary, in Bethlehem, offered him to the shepherds, so on this day the Church presents him to all humanity, so that each person and every human situation may come to know the power of God’s saving grace, which alone can transform evil into good, which alone can change human hearts, making them oases of peace.
No Time for Compromises…
Dec 15, 2008 / 00:00 amSomeone who encounters the Ultimate, who knows about the end, must let go of every compromise. In the presence of the Ultimate the only thing that survives is what is authentic. All compromise shatters there. All cheap negotiating shatters there. All half-truths, and all double meanings, and all masks, and all poses shatter there. The only thing that stands the test is what is authentic.
Ready or Not
Dec 8, 2008 / 00:00 amThe Angel’s message found her heart ready, and the Word became flesh, and in the holy room of her motherly heart, the earth grew far beyond its limitations into the human-divine sphere. There are the holiest comforts of Advent.
Surrender your weapons!
Dec 1, 2008 / 00:00 amHow would our own lives, and life in general, be different if we remembered that life’s greatest hour was when God became a man, a child? We would not approach one another, stand before on another so demandingly, and violently, and greedily. Children do not inflict such wounds. We want to be so great and mighty, so grown up and competent. We ourselves, and the heap of ruble that is left to us, are the outcome of this attitude.
A Sincere Thank You
Nov 24, 2008 / 00:00 amMy mom always taught me to do my thank you notes early, so here is a long thank you to the Blessed Mother on behalf of all the readers of this column and the young people of the Church, written with gratitude and love to the Most Holy Trinity. I am grateful for all of you and the gift I have each week to give you my heart in writing. May the Lord give you his grace and peace throughout this week.
Time To Take It Up
Nov 10, 2008 / 00:00 amWe are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through. I do not think that wide circles of the American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel and the anti-Gospel. This confrontation lies within the plans of divine providence. It is a trial which the whole Church . . . must take up. —Cardinal Karol Wotyla who became Pope John Paul II two years later; reprinted November 9, 1978, issue of The Wall Street Journal
November Rain
Nov 1, 2008 / 00:00 amHappy November! We all know what this month brings. Tomorrow is the big day and believe it or not, I am not going to write about the election much this week. Whether you can vote or are not quite old enough, all we can do now is pray that the Lord’s will is done. And also, whoever wins and at whatever cost, may the cause of life, justice, and peace be defended and promoted. I came to the conclusion that there is not much more to say about what will happen the next few days in our country. We will have a new president and regardless of who it is, the Lord will still be our Lord and he still calls us all to be light in the darkness of our times.
Vote for Change
Oct 27, 2008 / 00:00 amBy the title of the column some might think it is an endorsement of some kind. Don’t get carried away or let your mind wonder. When it comes to endorsing someone I will refer you to the bishops of the Church in the United States. They are the experts and many of them are heroes for speaking out in favor the real issues at stake in this election. Their defense and commitment to the dignity of human life, and their work for justice and peace are an example to us all. If you want to know who to vote for, ask them.
Election Part II: The Boss’s Economic Plan
Oct 20, 2008 / 00:00 am“You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared to whom will they belong?” Thus will it be for the one who sores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God” - Luke 12:20-21
Let Your Hearts Not Be Troubled
Oct 13, 2008 / 00:00 amI have been waiting for the right moment to bring up this election. Now that it is only a few weeks away, I thought it would be a worthy and timely topic of conversation. While they say that this election is one of the most important elections of our lifetime, (as if every election isn’t important), I would like to propose the reality of the situation in which we find ourselves.
Playing to Win
Oct 6, 2008 / 00:00 amI come from a sports family. We were blessed growing up to be involved in and have the skills to participate in sports at a high level. It is always interesting to reflect upon my athletic experiences and where they fit into our culture and young peoples’ lives today. Before I go on, I should say that every college football team I wanted to win this weekend lost. It was a rough weekend to feel good about my teams. Don’t worry, I am almost over it.
Sit Up Straight
Sep 29, 2008 / 00:00 amGrowing up, my mom would always encourage us to have good posture. She would always tell us to "sit up straight" at Mass or at the kitchen table, then explain her concern for our necks and backs and how they were going to be all messed up as we got older. Well my posture is ok now - perhaps my mom gets the credit – but there is something more important about this whole notion of posture.
Bankruptcy
Sep 22, 2008 / 00:00 amLet’s start with a quiz. Extra credit to anyone who knows what kind of crisis took place in America this past week.
Knock On Wood
Sep 15, 2008 / 00:00 am“To have found the cross is to have found happiness, it is to have found you, Lord!” – St. Jose Maria Escriva
Captivated
Sep 8, 2008 / 00:00 am“I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me” – Galatians 2:20
No Day Like Today…
Aug 25, 2008 / 00:00 am“I will not wait…I will live every present moment, filling it to the brim with love” – Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan
Living the Dream
Aug 18, 2008 / 00:00 am“Persevere in the exact fulfillment of the obligations of the moment. That work — humble, monotonous, small — is prayer expressed in action that prepares you to receive the grace of the other work — great and wide and deep — of which you dream.” – St. Jose Maria Escriva