Dear Friends,

I have just returned from a very fulfilling three-month sabbatical, for which I am deeply grateful to God and to you, my dear parishioners, for your prayers, love, and support that sustained me throughout those months. I am very happy to be back home and once again among you, ready to serve.

I have so much to share with you about my sabbatical experience, and hope to do so in the weeks and months ahead. But let me begin with one incident that has profoundly stayed with me and deepened my appreciation of the power of the Cross of Christ.

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Throughout lands of the former Roman Empire, one will encounter triumphal arches: a very large stone archway supported by two massive stone piers, sometimes with two accompanying smaller archways on each side of the center large one, with a passageway running through it below the arch, but not made for the purpose of supporting any structure above it crossing the passageway.

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Dear friends,

In our daily lives, misunderstandings and conflicts can easily arise within families, friendships, workplaces, and even our faith communities. We may be tempted to talk about someone's faults with others before having the courage to speak to the person directly. We can all take a wrong turning in our lives.

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