“Do you want the good news or the bad news first?” Guaranteed to get our attention, likely to unnerve us, this question suggests that our joy at glad tidings may be overshadowed by upsetting news we’d rather not hear.

Some laughter or chuckles from the congregation at the right moment assure a preacher he got his point across to them. While a homilist may find it amusing to notice one person in a pew gesturing to another as if to say, “He’s talking about you,” he hopes everyone gathered for worship realizes the Scriptures are being proclaimed for them.

It was one of the most powerful proclamations of the Gospel I have ever experienced – and it astounds me that The New York Times proclaimed it to me.

Perhaps it is because I am not very learned in science that the idea of a vaccine for me is intriguing. And also somewhat frightening. I remember as a very young child watching a movie on television, probably shot in the 1930s, about Edward Jenner, the English surgeon who in 1796 advanced the use of the cowpox vaccine as an immunization against smallpox.

People should talk to each other. When two persons are in conflict, they should try to resolve the situation among themselves. Only if they cannot come to an agreement should others be brought into the conversation.

Robert Bolt, author of the famous play, “A Man for All Seasons,” about the life and legacy of Thomas More, was a fascinating individual. As much as Thomas More is the hero of the piece and is clearly a saintly character, the play’s author was himself not a believer.

Today’s Gospel teaches us a basic truth: God’s love is for all people. Jesus shows that we can’t limit God’s love, mercy and forgiveness to those who think like us, look like us and act like us.

Flying back to New York from Rome in late June to begin my service as a summer priest at Immaculate Heart of Mary, Windsor Terrace, I had the opportunity to watch some films that I had wanted to watch and had always put off viewing.