Memorial in the Grotto of St. Mary’s Cathedral. The inscription says: “In memory of the death of innocence of the victims of clergy sexual abuse. When innocence dies…a life stops. It is essential that we never forget.”
Technology that exploits our need for relationships can lead not only to painful consequences in the lives of individuals, but also to damage in the social, cultural and political fabric of society. This occurs when we substitute relationships with others for AI systems that catalog our thoughts, creating a world of mirrors around us, where everything is made “in our image and likeness.” We are thus robbed of the opportunity to encounter others, who are always different from ourselves, and with whom we can and must learn to relate. Without embracing others, there can be no relationships or friendships.
As I reflect on Communion — the Centennial pillar for March, am I called as a prophet not merely to speak truth about our “serious mistake“, but to resist the temptation to live inside a world of mirrors—where technology reflects only my own thoughts—and instead courageously seek real encounters with others who are different from me, so that true communion and friendship in Christ may grow?
2. Meditatio
It is a curious thing that the people who most loudly object to prophets are the very people who are secretly waiting for one.
The Pharisees feared Jesus not because He was obscure, but because they suspected He was obvious. The prophet is the one man who insists on saying the thing everyone already knows but prefers not to hear.
In virtue of my Baptism, the Church rather inconveniently says that I am. I am baptized priest, king, and prophet.
Unfortunately, my imagination of a prophet tends to involve thunder, fire, and dramatic speeches delivered from mountains. My actual life involves livestock, social media, morning prayer, and the occasional argument with the bishop.
Not quite Elijah calling down fire from heaven.
Yet Joshua Correa recently suggested something that startled me: prophets are often the people who lovingly call us out on sin and point us back toward Christ.
That means that prophets are not merely loud voices in the wilderness. Sometimes they are quiet voices in the pew next to us.
The prophet might be a friend who refuses to let me remain comfortably wrong. The prophet might be a priest who hears my confession. The prophet might even be the bishop whom I find myself arguing with.
The tragedy of the tenants in Christ’s parable is not that they lacked prophets.
They had many.
The tragedy is that prophets are rarely welcomed. They are beaten, ignored, or dismissed—usually for the very irritating reason that they are correct.
I must admit that I prefer prophets when they are safely dead. Dead prophets are wonderfully agreeable because they no longer contradict me.
Chesterton once suggested that the saint is simply someone who takes Christianity seriously.
A prophet, then, may simply be someone who refuses to treat the Gospel as decorative.
The vineyard in Christ’s parable belongs to God. The tenants are merely stewards. Yet they behave as though the vineyard were theirs to possess.
Modern life suffers from the same confusion. We speak as though the world belongs to us—our land, our power, our institutions, our ideas.
But the prophet quietly reminds us of an inconvenient truth:
The vineyard was never ours.
We are tenants.
And prophets are those strange souls who keep reminding everyone of the landlord.
4. Oratio
Lord Jesus,
You are the cornerstone rejected by the builders. Give me the humility to recognize Your voice when it comes through the prophets in my life.
Make me brave enough to speak the truth with charity and humble enough to hear it when spoken to me.
Let my life bear fruit in Your vineyard.
Amen.
5. Actio — In Light of Laudato Si’ and Synodality
The writings of the prophets invite us to find renewed strength in times of trial by contemplating the all-powerful God who created the universe. Yet God’s infinite power does not lead us to flee his fatherly tenderness, because in him affection and strength are joined.
Authentic care for creation and humanity requires prophetic voices willing to challenge systems that harm the poor and the earth.
Synodality calls the Church to listen—to prophets both expected and unexpected.
Today I will listen carefully to someone who challenges my assumptions rather than dismissing them.
Sometimes the prophet I need to hear is the one I least want to listen to.
6. Song Pairing 🎵
🎶 “We Shall Be Free” — Garth Brooks🎵
The song begins, “This ain’t comin’ from no prophet.” Yet the strange thing about prophets is that they often sound like ordinary people telling the truth plainly enough that we can finally hear it.
A prophet is rarely recognized by power, but by transformation. The true test of prophecy is not authority—it is whether lives begin to change.
The Introverted Apostle: Small Group vs. Large Group Engagement Doosterhaus. Doisterhaus. Dusterhaus. However you pronounce it, Davlyn brought wisdom. 😄 Less noise and more depth in this week’s episode, Davlyn Duesterhaus unpacks introvert survival tips: start small, know your boundaries, make eye contact (occasionally), and why wholeness takes both introverts and extroverts. It’s not either/or…it’s both/and. Take a deep breath and say, “Okay, God, here we go!” ⛪😌 BONUS: We attempt to pronounce her name correctly.
Takeaways: • Think about the people in your life who have lovingly called you out on sin and encouraged you to grow closer to Jesus. They’ve acted like prophets for you. • Through Baptism, you are called to be a priest, king, and prophet — meaning you are sent to share the Gospel as a missionary disciple. • Live out that calling by praying more, going to Mass, and receiving the Sacraments. When you live with real joy and hope, others will notice…and it opens the door to share God’s love.
Move over, celebrity sightings…this is a Sacred Heart sighting! ❤️ Duane and Theresa are popping up in parishes everywhere, helping families put Christ at the heart of their homes and spreading devotion that’s anything but half-hearted. But wherever they go, they’re on fire for the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 🔥 In this episode, Duane and Theresa talk First Fridays, 12 powerful promises, and why enthroning your home might be the best “heart upgrade” you’ll ever make. Warning: Sacred Heart enthusiasm may be contagious. ❤️🔥
Your Eminence Cardinal DiNardo,
Grace and peace to you in Christ.
On behalf of many of the faithful in the Diocese of Amarillo, I wish to extend to you a heartfelt welcome as our Apostolic Administrator. Please know of my prayers for you as you shepherd us during this significant moment in our diocesan history.
As we continue celebrating our Centennial year, we give thanks for the many blessings God has bestowed upon this local Church over the past one hundred years. At the same time, anniversaries naturally invite both gratitude and honest reflection.
It is in that spirit of reflection — and in the spirit of synodality so frequently emphasized in the life of the Church today — that I respectfully ask whether there might be an opportunity for renewed dialogue regarding the Tribute to Bishop Matthiesen and what former Bishop Zurek referred to as the “serious mistake” that brought about its existence.
My desire is not to reopen wounds or foster division, but rather to seek clarity, healing, and communion. I believe many of us long to celebrate our Centennial with consciences fully at peace, confident that we have honestly acknowledged our history while entrusting it to the mercy of Christ.
Synodality, as I understand it, calls us to walk together — clergy and laity alike — in truth and charity. If there is a path forward that allows for thoughtful listening, careful discernment, and pastoral guidance on this matter, I would be deeply grateful.
Thank you for your willingness to serve us during this transitional season. Please be assured of my continued prayers for your ministry and for the unity of our diocesan family.
Respectfully in Christ,
Darrell Glenn
My Story
Photo used by permission of Douglas Kirkland/Corbis via Getty Images
Memorial in the Grotto of St. Mary’s Cathedral. The inscription says: “In memory of the death of innocence of the victims of clergy sexual abuse. When innocence dies…a life stops. It is essential that we never forget.“
I was one of “the few” Bishop Zurek spoke of in this letter. He first posted it in August of 2019, and in response to my, “calling out all the more“, he kept reposting it atop the diocesan news page until December 11, 2019. There it remains to this day.
Fr. Ed Graff, brought here from Philadelphia by Bishop Matthiesen, was arrested in 2002 for sexually assaulting a minor and died later that year in jail. Despite the harm linked to his ministry, he was buried in an honored section of Llano Cemetery among our pioneering clergy — a decision that continues to wound survivors and raise hard questions for our diocese.
Bishop Matthiesen, who rode the white horse of public activism even as he brought abusive priests into our diocese such as John Salazar—wounds that still mark us today. I spoke with him often, pleading with him to reconsider his “no regrets” about bringing those priests here…
Bishop Zurek, who told the Diocese of Amarillo he had “no facts” about the Philadelphia report even as Amarillo’s connection to that tragedy was headline news. When I continued to speak out, as Bishop Yanta had once urged me to do, he later wrote that I was not among the faithful and loyal disciples whom the Lord Jesus desires.
