Bruce Concert

Last night I attended the Bruce Springsteen concert at the Prudential Center in Newark.  As always, Bruce put on a great show and while I have been labeled a "medium" fan, as opposed to a fanatic, I do enjoy his music and his shows greatly.  It is the third time I have seen him and it is always fun.

In his latest album, "Wrecking Ball," there is a real sense of the spiritual in some of his songs; some sound like they have a clear gospel-music influence.  While the sound might be a little different from the past, the theme of God, redemption, grace and forgiveness are fairly common themes for Bruce.  Last night he performed one of his classics, "It's Hard to be a Saint in the City" and it got me thinking of how on target that song and its title are: "it IS hard to be a saint in the city".  How true that is!  As Catholics and Christians, we understand it: sainthood is difficult, but we keep striving for it.  And that is where the other themes that Springsteen often mention come into the picture: it is with God and His grace and our prayerfulness and our willingness to keep fighting for goodness.

Yes, it is hard to be a saint, but we keep trying and trying and, hopefully will achieve it with God's grace.  And thanks for reminding us again, Bruce!

Easter Sunday

Sunday, April 24 was Easter Sunday and as we witnessed, it could not have been a more beautiful day to celebrate Jesus' Resurrection.



In reflection, as incredible a miracle as Jesus' rising from the dead was, it is only half the story for us Christians: we, too, believe that we will rise from the dead as Our Lord did. Like Jesus, we will rise to have a fleshly existence and will be rejoined with our souls. Scripture tells us that we will either rise again to take part in the resurrection of the just or the resurrection of the damned. This, of course, is the difference between heaven and hell. Of course, I any exclude mention of purgatory, as when the general resurrection takes place, there will be no more purgatory. Of course, our salvation or damnation will be based on our faith and coupled with living out that faith in Jesus Christ.


This is a common belief that Christians hold and explains why Easter Sunday is such a widely celebrated holiday. May this holiday and the Easter season be a time of renewed belief in Jesus Christ

--Fr. Marc A. Vicari

Roe v Wade: the 38th Anniversary

One of the most monumental United States Supreme Court cases was the 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford case. In summary, the case was of a Missouri slave named Dred Scott who was considered the property of John Sandford. A few years prior to this, Scott tried to sue his slave master for his freedom, taking his case to the Federal court, but the federal court judge determined that he did not have jurisdiction to rule because Scott was black, therefore, he could not be a citizen of the United States. Thus Scott brought his case to the US Supreme Court to determine whether, because of his skin color, he could be a citizen and be entitled to all the rights of being a citizen, like the right of suing.

The nation at the time was quite divided and sometimes people became violent over the issue. Some states even threatened to succeed from the Union because of this issue. Perhaps this is what St. Paul spoke of when he wrote to the Corinthians, that there should be “no divisions among you, but that you should be united in the same mind and the same purpose.” Yet, because the truth had been obscured, there was fighting over this basic human rights issue.

The Court first held that Scott was not a “citizen” within the meaning of the United States Constitution. According to the Court, the drafters of the Constitution had viewed all ancestors of Africa as “beings of an inferior order, and altogether unfit to associate with the white race, either in social or political relations, and so far inferior that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect.” Therefore, according to Supreme Court Justice Roger Taney, Dred Scott and all blacks (and their descendents) were not only inferior, but they could not be citizens of the United States.

Certainly we are all outraged by this thinking and certainly embarrassed that our nation would ever espouse such beliefs at the highest level of the judicial system within the populace. In very much the same way, the infamous Roe v. Wade decision of 1973 outraged and embarrassed many because, again, the nation’s highest court determined that a certain portion of our population, namely, the unborn, are not only inferior, but that they are not entitled to rights. Yesterday was the 38^th anniversary of this Supreme Court decision and for that long; this nation has had an embarrassing black eye for that long.

There are many parallels between the Dred Scott Case and the Roe v. Wade decision.

1) Some didn’t see blacks as persons with rights simply because they were black and now some don’t see the unborn as persons with rights because they are unborn.

2) Like the Dred Scott decision, Roe v. Wade was handed down in the name of an individual right: in Dred Scott’s case, he was the property that could not be taken away from someone without due process. Blacks were considered the property of their owners while unborn children are the property of their mothers and in both cases, stripped of their rights and at the mercy of their “owners.”

3) The reasoning in Dred Scott and R v. W is nearly identical. In both cases the Court stripped all rights from a class of human beings and reduced them to nothing more than the property of others. For the past 38 years, in the Court’s eyes, unborn children are now the same “beings of an inferior order” that the justices considered blacks to be over a century ago.

4) We are asked to maintain this logic: the anti-slavery movement was told that no one should give in to the imposition of their morality, while that same mentality is invoked when those who believe in the rights of the unborn are told not to impose their morality of those with a choice, as it a private matter and, in essence, their property. No doubt, there are many things that we as a nation should be proud of, and the list is innumerable, but no doubt, there are things that we should be ashamed of as well. These two court decisions, especially as we mark the anniversary of one, are events that tarnish our historical standing and at the same time, they prove that we was a nation sometimes, we sit in darkness and through God's grace, we will see the Great Light. Right now, we are in a land overshadowed by death, but hopefully, the Light will arise.

This will only happen when we do what Jesus’ words were when he first began to preach. He said, “Repent.” Hopefully, we will do this for our sins both as individuals and also as a nation.

Chi-Chi-Chi, Le-Le-Le!!!

Wow, what a wonderful and powerful victory it was last week for the Chilean miners, the Chilean people and all those who watched and cheered for their rescue! How can one not be happy for the country and their well-orchestrated effort to rescue these thirty-three men trapped for over two months. Much credit must be given to their government for the way that they aggressively tackled the situation, from having the men deal with psychologists, dividing up the responsibilities, keeping them from physical and mental ailments, right up to the drilling of the passages and raising of the miners. What a gripping story, and, finally, broadcast we watched unfold.

This seems like it was one of those stories where the good-guys won, and, hopefully, there will be no more situations such as these, although with mining, it really is inevitable.

At the same time, one of the great story lines all along was the issue of these men's faith. They recognized that it really was miraculous (and even CNN did, too) that they survived and were rescued. They stated that there were little miracles witnessed all along and it caused their belief in God to grow. It, is God, afterall, who preforms miracles! One miner stated that they, "Saw the devil and they saw God. And they chose God." Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all say that, all the time!!

Kudos to the worldwide community for the help they provided and the support and prayers they offered. While the technology and support that was provided was imperative, perhaps the miners survived and were rescued by the prayers of the world.

At Chilean soccer matches, the crowd often chants, "Chi-Chi-Chi, Le, Le, Le" in an effort to support their nation or to celebrate a particular victory. As the miners were brought forth from the depths of the world, the nation chanted this as a sign of victory for their nation. How appropriate! Hopefully, their faith in God and His great miracles will grow and stand firm and continue to be a witness for all the world to see!


--Fr. Marc A. Vicari

Tyler Clementi

A few weeks ago we heard the terrible and tragic news about a young college freshman, Tyler Clementi, from Rutgers University who committed suicide after his roommate had revealed and made public an intimate relationship Tyler had had. Some positioned that this was a misuse of modern technology and social networking gone bad; some said that it was homophobia; most agreed that it was an invasion of privacy at the very least. I am not sure of the accused's intentions, and as of now, neither is the prosecutor's office. No doubt the invasion of privacy was caused young Tyler to fall into despair.


Certainly, there was more to Tyler Clementi's background that this caused him to react so drastically. He probably was struggling with many things and his sexuality was, no doubt, one of them. Perhaps he was never really able to discuss with someone what was going on in his life.


What I found as troubling as anything was that after his suicide, there were many Rutgers students interviewed who lived near him in the dorm, and only three had stated that they had had a conversation with the young student. Only three! Yet on the evening of the vigil that the students and faculty held in his memory and honor, 700 or 800 students attended. Many showed up to remember him, which was kind, but I wonder how many were there to support him or love him before the terrible tragedy.


One of the great examples of Christian living we can show is a willingness to be kind to others. Offering a word of encouragement, a gentle "hello" or a simple smile to those that we might not know so well. For some who receive this kindness, it could make all the difference in the world. Jesus spoke to people he didn't know; Jesus listened to people when they spoke; Jesus asked those in need what he could do for them. Perhaps, this kindness might have been the difference between life and death for Tyler Clementi. Rest in peace, Tyler.

Fr. Marc A. Vicari

My friend Eli

Every once in a while I get a chance to meet up with a friend of mine, Eli, with whom I used to practice martial arts and we now just stay in touch. We usually go for Kosher vegetarian Indian food in the New york and that is what we were able to squeeze in yesterday.

While he is a very busy guy, involved in real estate and continuing his education, while being a husband and father of two, we always get back to the topic of religion. Eli is an "orthodox" Jew (although he has disdain for labels), so often we speak of the similarities and differences of our two faiths. Marriage, marriage preparation, birth control, prayer and spirituality, philosophy and history are just some of the topics we discussed last night and are usual areas of conversation.

What I truly appreciate about our friendship and conversations are that we truly listen and appreciate the differences in our beliefs and belief systems and the more we know and understand, the greater respect we both have for our respective faiths. There is never a debate but there is always a dialogue that leads to better understanding. This always leads to fun and enjoyable evenings and greater understanding.

Last night I felt like I had continued my class on World Religions and found our conversation to be enlightening and edifying at the same time. While we are world's apart in many ways, we are both in search of much of the same thing.

"A Catholic priest and a Jew walk into an Indian restaurant and the waiter is a Muslim..."


--Fr. Marc A. Vicari

Olympic Hockey

Wow, what an exciting hockey game last Sunday's gold medal game was as it pitted the United States against Canada! I admit I have not been much of a fan over the years after having grown up loving the game as a kid. Wayne Gretsky, Guy LaFleur, Phil Esposito, Ron Hextall were some of the names that I remember watching and cheering for and against. My hockey knowledge and recollection are from THAT era.

I do, however, very clearly recall the 1980 Olympics and how the US defeated the Soviets, then went on to win the gold medal. As a boy, that was one of the great sporting memories of my life. It was great to see the US make another run at the gold during these Olympics. It did bring back some memories, but I know it was not a parallel situation.

About eight years ago the movie "Miracle" came out that detailed those 1980 Olympics and the story of the US hockey team. It was a wonderful opportunity to reminisce and not only was exciting because of the story, but also because of the patriotic theme.

While our nation's hockey team fell short this time, they were still wonderful ambassadors both for the sport as well as for our nation!


--Fr. Marc A. Vicari