My homily from Sunday, February 10, 2019 is now available at: Deacon Steve’s Homilies. As always, your feedback is welcomed and appreciated.
Author: Steve Swope
The All Time – NFL Champions Are…
This weekend a friend of mine asked me that if the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl this year, would that mean they have won the most championships. I told him no, they would not even be close to the most. So, he guessed the most championships must have been won by Pittsburgh’s teams of the 70’s and onward, Dallas’ teams in the 70’s and 90’s or San Francisco’s teams in the 80’s. Wrong, wrong, wrong. None of those teams is even remotely close to the leader. In fact, the team with the second most championships is the Chicago Bears with a total of 9. Number three is the New York Giants with 7. Number four? The Cleveland Browns. So which team does have the most NFL Championships? Continue reading “The All Time – NFL Champions Are…”
Great Upcoming Charitable Events
Two of the charitable events that Marie and I strongly support and attend are coming up in the next few months. If you are in the Atlanta area you should consider supporting one or both of them.
The 12th Annual Oscar Night Gala on February 23rd benefits the Newnan~Coweta County Boys & Girls Clubs. The Boys & Girls Clubs work to save and change the lives of children and teens, especially those who need a safe, positive and engaging environment and programs that prepare and inspire them to achieve Great Futures. For more information see: 2019 Oscar Night Gala
The 2019 Drive & Dine on April 27th is an experiential evening of riding fast cars, fine food, and live and silent auctions at the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta. This one of a kind event helps to provide abandoned, abused, runaway and homeless youth a safe haven in a loving Christ-centered environment. Last year’s event sold out quickly and we expect the same for 2019. For more information or to see how much fun we had last year go to: 2018 Drive and Dine.
Homily – 4th Sunday of Advent
My homily from Sunday, December 23, 2018 – The Fourth Sunday of Advent is now available at: Deacon Steve’s Homilies. As always, your feedback is welcomed and appreciated.
2019 – A New Year
Happy New Year from Steve and Marie Swope. We hope that 2019 will be a wonderful year for you all! This morning we ventured down to the beach just as the sun was coming up over the horizon. Amid all of the craziness of the world today, the graceful and dependable rising of the sun brings a sense of peace and perspective. All the best to you for the coming year!
“The Lights of Learning and Reason”
In the undelivered speech he intended to give at the Dallas Trade Mart on November 22, 1963 President John F. Kennedy wrote, “In a world of complex and continuing problems, in a world full of frustrations and irritations, America’s leadership must be guided by the lights of learning and reason or else those who confuse rhetoric with reality and the plausible with the possible will gain the popular ascendancy with their seemingly swift and simple solutions to every world problem.”
We live in a complex and difficult world but we should realize that the world has always been complex and difficult. Historically, when people feel that the challenges that they face in their own generation and lives are becoming insurmountable they tend to look for a cause for their pain, dissatisfaction, hurt or difficulty. They often decide that the cause is some “other person” or group of people and they become susceptible to believing the “simple solutions to every world problem” that those who confuse “rhetoric with reality” put forward. Continue reading ““The Lights of Learning and Reason””
This Must End
As a Roman Catholic and an ordained Deacon of the Church I am appalled by the enormity of the abuse done to innocent children and young people revealed in the Grand Jury report from Pennsylvania. I am outraged that the Bishops were complicit in this evil by covering up the abuse and allowing it to continue. Certainly these eight dioceses are not the only ones with this abhorrent behavior.
It is clear that the attempt at reforms done in 2002 are not enough. There are still too many men who perpetrated these immoral and criminal actions in active ministry. I addressed this topic in my homily yesterday. It is clear to me that the laity must force reform and take an active role in directing it. The abuse, coverups and lack of transparency cannot and should not be tolerated. My homily is below and on my Homilies and Talks page:
Southside Ultreya Address – Summer 2018
Last evening I gave a talk to the Atlanta Southside Ultreya gathering. I was asked by several members of that group to post my remarks so that others in their group could hear them. The talk can be found here: Southside Ultreya Talk. It was an honor to be asked to address this wonderful group.
#ATLEC2018 Refugee Speech
This is the talk about #Refugees that I gave on Saturday, June 2, 2018 at the Archdiocese of Atlanta Eucharistic Congress. We all need to advocate on the behalf of those who have no voice!
Homily: Solemnity of the Holy Trinity
My homily from Sunday, May 27, 2018 – The Solemnity of the Holy Trinity is now available at:Deacon Steve’s Homilies. Your feedback is welcomed and appreciated.
