FR. BRENDAN MCGUIRE

I had the wonderful opportunity to visit my close friend and mentor, Monsignor Lloyd Torgerson. Lloyd is a towering figure in the American church, especially in Los Angeles. He is eighty-six years old, still pastor,
and he has been pastor over thirty years. He is still as sharp as a tack.

He has this wonderful way. He is so hospitable. He is such a generous human being. He meets me, and it is always the first thing he says: “Brendan, you are so wonderful. I love you.”

This last week we had a great opportunity as a parish and school staff to go away on a day of retreat. It was wonderful just to be away and to spend a day in prayer, holding up the whole year ahead. I introduced the theme for the year: Flourish: Cultivating Dignity Through Presence.

I just got back from vacation. I had been in Florence for a conference on artificial intelligence for the first nine days, where I gave four presentations over those days. Then I had the great opportunity to go to Sicily and visit with a friend of mine, with another friend, and we spent two weeks there. It was great to catch up and see my friends, but I must confess, one of the struggles with vacation is that you get out of your routines, right? You do not have as much control of the environment, and that was certainly my case.

Last year, when we were on pilgrimage to Turkey and Greece, in the footsteps of St. Paul, we had nearly 50 parishioners. When you have a group of people like that, something always goes wrong! So the first day, somebody cut their foot on something as we were walking somewhere. I turned around and I asked, “Rachel, we need a large bandage.” Rachel opens up her bag and out comes this huge bandage.

But in hi book, he says that once we find this purpose, in relation to the world’s needs, and that it is a dynamic process. I think that insight is very powerful. It is a process that we come to, and we know when we get there. We have this aha moment.

I bring you this homily today from Florence, Italy. I am here with a group of Jesuits from throughout the whole world, those working in formation, bringing them all together to learn a little bit more about artificial intelligence and how to integrate that into their ministry.