December 3, 2014 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet.

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

We have begun Advent which is basically a time of waiting. Time is really important to us. We live in time – the time of our birth to our death. The time of Advent in a certain sense telescopes our life from its beginning to end. It gives us the opportunity to look back and look forward. To wait, in time, for the birth of Jesus, the Son of God Who is the author of all time.

At this time, an important question is, how do we view time in our lives? Time is not something we really like to waste. We like to make the most of our time in this life, and every day we should use the time God gives us for good purpose. As we think about how we use time, however, we recognize that sometimes we let it slip through our fingers. We do not take advantage of every day and make the best use of it. It does not mean we have to be workaholics, never stopping to take a rest or use leisure properly, but it is an opportunity to analyze the time we have, for time does not belong to us alone.

Time belongs to God. He has given us the time in our lives to find its meaning. As Christians, we find the meaning of time in Jesus Christ whose birth we prepare to celebrate during Advent. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end of time.

Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.

November 26, 2104 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

As we approached Thanksgiving, I had the opportunity to prepare by attending a conference on migration in Rome and by visiting a refugee reception center in Sicily. I came away truly thankful for the gifts of our American society.

The conference held in Rome had the theme of “Cooperation and Development of the Pastoral Care of Migrants,” and over 300 people attended, representing 90 countries. About 30 bishops were present.

This World Congress takes place every five years. It assists the Holy See in developing its policy positions and its concern for the pastoral care of migrants and refugees and all itinerant people. The meeting focused on those who are economic migrants, that is, those who migrate because they are looking for a better life for themselves and their families.

Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.

November 19, 2104 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

In 1925, Pope Pius XI established a new feast to end the liturgical year, the Feast of Christ the King. That time in history had seen the rise of the totalitarian systems, such as communism and socialism, which infringed on the free practice of the faith. Because the dominion of Christ the King was not a political but rather a spiritual reign, it could really co-exist with any type of government, as long as religious freedom was allowed. Normally, democracy would seem to be the best system of government compatible with the Christian faith, but a monarchy or other forms of government can also allow the Christian faith to thrive, if real freedom of conscience and worship are supported.

This feast allows us to recognize the tension that exists today between faith and politics in our own land. When Jesus was asked the famous question by Pontius Pilate, “Are you a King?,” Jesus simply said, “You say so.”

But what do we say about Christ? Is He our King? Is our conscience guided by our allegiance to Christ or a political party or to some other loyalty?

Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.