Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I have been asked on a number of occasions about the recent interviews with Pope Francis. There has been a bit of confusion both in the media and in the minds of those who may have read part of his recent article. Misinformation and half-truths can go a long way to confuse well-intentioned Catholics. Sadly, many in the media have settled on reporting misinformation and half-truths.

I was reminded of my seminary days when my professor would assign us term papers in which we had to use primary sources--in others words, the historical figures own thoughts and words. It was hard work because we could not just use another's opinion in the paper. Why is it important to go directly to the source? Because you tend to lose something when you hear it second hand. It's kind of like knowing about Jesus instead of knowing Jesus.

With this in mind, I challenge you to read Pope Francis' interview: www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20130919_1.htm. I think you'll be shocked, even angered by what the press has done to misrepresent Pope Francis. I read the 18-page article a few weeks ago after hearing dozens of press reports that the pope is "lightening up" about the issues of gay marriage, contraception and abortion and charting a vastly different approach than his predecessors.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In today's Gospel Our Lord speaks about "mammon". Mammon in this instance can mean money. Our Lord has often reminded us that our money (and possessions) can quickly posses us. We can become slaves to money. Now money is not evil or good. As a matter of fact, Bible does not say "money is the root of all evil," but the bible does say that the "love of money is the root of all evil."

Sadly, many people are very attached to money and to making more of it. Please don't misunderstand me. Making more money is not necessarily wrong. The notion of using your gifts, your intelligence and your energy to provide and income for yourself and your family is a good thing. It is the desire to have more and more money/possessions that can quickly leads to spending more and more money. Spending more money, having more things means having more responsibility. Our Lord reminds us that "much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more" (Luke 12:48). Our Lord refers to this notion of using our resources responsibly as "good stewardship".

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I give thanks to God for our altar servers. Week after week, year after year, many of these servants of God have been a beautiful witness to Christ – The Light of the World! The altar server often has a candlestick in his or her hand reminding us of Christ - the One, True, Light. Their service is often times not limited to the inside of a church. Many of our altar servers let the light of Christ shine in their everyday life: in school, in the family, and in our world. Those who desire to serve Jesus Christ inside a church must be His witness everywhere. Many of people live in darkness. They do not know Christ. Let us pray for our altar servers. May they continue to be the light of the Gospel to all those who are in darkness and are living through a difficult time in their life. Blessed Pope John Paul II once said: "Altar servers are much more than simple "helpers of the parish priest." Above all, you are servers of Jesus Christ, of the eternal High Priest. Thus, you, altar servers, are called in particular to be young friends of Jesus. Be determined to go deeper and to cultivate this friendship with him. You will discover that in Jesus you have found a true friend for life.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I always liked this time of year. Going back to school was sort of exciting – call me weird. I liked seeing my classmates and hanging out with friends. I even looked forward to my first day of Kindergarten – just ask my mom. Recently, I have been thinking about education and religious education in particular. Today, I want to reflect on our role as parents/catechists. Our Lord wants us to take our responsibility in handing on the faith very seriously. A reminder of our role is part the baptismal rite of children in the Catholic Church where parents commit before God to the Christian education of their children. The rite reminds parents (and godparents) of their duty to bring their children up by teaching them the law of Christ and His Church. This is a very serious obligation that parents have promised to Our Lord.

As we begin this school year, I have been praying for parents of students of all ages — from preschool to post graduate — that for the sake of our culture, they will take their education seriously but most importantly, they would seek to learn and to live the Catholic faith. Teaching and living the faith is in fact, the most important thing that parents for their children. For above all else, parents must prepare their children for the journey and the road to heaven, by word and example.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Marriage is a precious gift from God and a dramatic way for one to live life. For those who are called to marriage and live it according to God's plan, eternal joy in heaven awaits you. Sadly, our very confused government who are called to defend marriage as God's gift is seeking to redefine marriage in a way that is contrary to God.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York has said:

"Our nation and government have the duty to recognize and protect marriage, not tamper with and redefine it, nor to caricature the deeply held beliefs of so many citizens as 'discrimination,'" His statement followed the February 23 announcement that President Obama has instructed the Department of Justice to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a move Archbishop Dolan called an "alarming and grave injustice."