With a thundering voice, Father Bill Holt, O.P., a Dominican priest in Manhattan, preaches frequently about the “thunder of silence.” (O.P. stands for Order of Preachers, and so he is.) Father Holt isn’t just any Catholic priest. He’s one who went viral during Covid. A video was posted, unbeknownst to him, of him smoking on the St. Vincent Ferrer priory steps, with some natural animation. There he was, being himself, quite relatable, and yet with something clearly more, deeper, radiating. Something magnetic. Some of us believe that God works with everything, and Father Holt’s regular presence — not just on TikTok, but on Lexington Ave. — is being used for more than puffs on a cigarette. He doesn’t need to be preaching to witness to something more. Who is this man in a white habit living next door to this Gothic church seemingly from another time? What does he have that we all want?
Can I be the only person who felt guilt when encountering my first Christmas decorations of the season? I’m pretty sure I saw my year pass, in my mind’s eye, if not a little bit of the rest of my life. It all goes so fast, I thought, as I rushed for one of many flights over the past few weeks. What if, instead, we retrained ourselves? Instead of standing in an elevator or anywhere else, looking at our phones, what if we looked other people in the eye? What if we looked up? What if we smiled? I’ve tried it now that we’re not all wearing masks. People actually smile back!
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