On July 4, 2026, the United States of America will celebrate its 250th anniversary. This event will resonate in every corner of the land, but it has special significance for us in the Premier See, the Archdiocese of Baltimore. We are linked to this event both by history and by the virtue of patriotism.

Among the many beautiful feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the Visitation. This year it falls on a Sunday and so won’t be celebrated in the liturgy. Nevertheless, it should not be passed over in silence. Among its important lessons is the beauty of interior freedom – Mary’s interior freedom.

A most joyful day in my ministry as your bishop is the First Sunday of Lent when we celebrate the Rite of Election. It is a beautiful moment when the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen is filled to overflowing with those of you entering the Church, together with your godparents, sponsors, parish priests, catechists and friends.  

First, it’s fine to give up wine for Lent but it’s better to give up whining. Lent is the perfect time to examine ourselves. Do we whine too much? Second, let’s replace whining with mutual encouragement, bonds of charity, unity and fraternity.  

Lent is something we do together, as a community of believers, surrounded by the grace of God. We’re not alone; we accompany one another in our journey of repentance. As the Church’s “growing season,” Lent is rich in God’s graces.

Emptying and filling our interior buckets is hard work. In fact, it can’t be done apart from the grace of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who enables us to heed Jesus’ invitation, “Come to me, all you who are burdened and I will give you rest.” Jesus invites us to exchange our heavy yoke for his lighter burden – peace, forgiveness and thankfulness.  

The Jubilee of Hope, begun by Pope Francis and continued by Pope Leo XIV, reaches its pinnacle as we make our way through Advent toward the dazzling light of Christmas. It is a sacred moment for us to gather up our fears and anxieties, including those we absorb from the world around us, and entrust them to the Lord of history, the redeemer of the world.

In his first exhortation, “Dilexi Te” (“I Have Loved You”), Pope Leo XIV wrote movingly of Christ’s love for the poor and of our calling as Catholics also to love and serve the poor. His exhortation hit home personally.

If the Church is itself the sacrament of unity and charity, then we need to curb our speech, and more.

AI has made it more difficult to perceive what is real and what is unreal in the virtual world. And it has made it easier for its users to be deceived.