I haven't been able to blog for the past few days because I'm at The National Black Catholic Congress [NBCC]. First, I will acknowledge, reluctantly and grudgingly, that Chicago is a beautiful city. At least what little I have seen of it.

The Congress started on Thursday with an opening mass. I don't know what the official number of Bishops present was, but there were quite a few, including a few cardinals such as Law, Bevilacqua, and McCarrick. Bishop Gregory presided and Bishop Perry, Auxiliary in Chicago was the homilist. Unfortunately, I was not able to be present for the full homily, but it was a wonderful mass.

There has been a concerted focus on the HIV/AIDS issue which is ripping through the black community relentlessly. Over 50% of all new AIDS cases are of Black people and it is the leading cause of death among black men ages 25-44. One problem is that priests are not speaking out about HIV/AIDS from the pulpit and as long as they are quiet, parishes are not going to reach out to HIV/AIDS victims.

AIDS ministry is vital these days, not only in Black parishes, but all parishes need to be doing something. AIDS is the leprosy of our day because of the hopelessness and stigma associated with it. Like Jesus, we need to reach out.

How can we be like Jesus, who was uncompromising with his message, but who attracted the marginalized and those without hope? As Christians, we are so far from that ideal that it is sad.

Hopefully, I'll blog more tomorrow.