Friends, here are some thoughtful words written by a friend of mine to read and reflect upon.

Br. Joseph Kilikevice, OP

BREAKING: Pope Francis unleashes a historic attack on the Trump administration over its cruel treatment of migrants — and takes specific aim at remarks made by J.D. Vance, a Catholic convert. So-called Christians in the MAGA movement are melting down over this…

The Pope, head of the Catholic Church, issued a rebuke of Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan, stating that it removes the migrants of their inherent dignity as people and “will end badly.”

Dear family and friends,

Whenever there was a new niece or nephew born into my family, I have vivid memories of seeing them for the first time. I recall being asked, “Would you like to hold her or him?” The joy of doing so was being shared with the rest of the family by proud parents bringing new life into the world. Not having children of my own, this simple gesture remains a beautiful memory of knowing that there are times when joy is much too big to be kept to oneself. One naturally holds the infant on the left side of one’s chest, connecting heart to heart with the blessing of new life.

Today is a crisp, bright day with a clear, blue sky. Our country’s flag flys above the Oak Park Fire station across the alley. I can see it from my bedroom window, at times flown at half mast to honor a recently deceased firefighter. Today it proudly flys to the top of the pole. This day is now called Veteran’s day, but I grew up knowing it as Armistice Day. It marked the end of the World War One in 1918. My Dad fought in that war in France as a newly arrived American immigrant from his Lithuanian homeland. He was just 17 years old. Years later my younger brother, John was born on Armistice day, and we always celebrated both events together as something special to be acknowledged. His son, Shawn called me today to talk a bit as he frequently does.