Last year I stirred up a little excitement when at a public forum I suggested that Marquette might well be led one day by a lay president. I heard a collective intake of breath from the audience, so I reassured them that I am not contemplating retirement and plan to be working at Marquette for a good while longer. Furthermore, our bylaws require that Marquette be led by a Jesuit. That said, I believe that I was pointing to an obvious truth about the future: We have to prepare the Marquette community for what will be a likely occurrence sometime in the future.

Some Jottings: What Jesus Asks

Jesus asks us to do some things that aren’t very realistic — to forgive without limit, love our enemies, hunger and thirst for justice, live as peacemakers, accept the crosses in our lives and become great by serving others.