The way Willie Bloomquist sees it, he’s living an impossible dream. Of all the players who try to make it to the major leagues, only a relative few actually get there. Bloomquist is one of those few, but he doesn’t attribute this to his own skills. The 34-year-old Port Orchard, Wash., native says he’s not […]
Nearing his 85th birthday on April 16 and, three days later, the seventh anniversary of his election to the throne of Peter, Pope Benedict XVI—even after so many years—apparently remained something of an enigma for many people. A small but telling incident before Easter may hold a key to understanding this unusual man. In case […]
Last week, we talked about making good decisions — God’s way. I want to follow up on that. One may ask, “How does a Bible verse that is so abstract make sense regarding my finances.” The fact is that it does have an impact, financially and spiritually. One of the key components in our relationship […]
Every day we make several decisions. They range from making the decision to get out of bed in the morning instead of hitting the “snooze” button, to making some major decision. Whether we are talking about our finances or any other decision, how do we discern the will of God? In the Compass Catholic classes […]
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Phil 4:13 During the presidential contest of 2008, Barack Obama inspired millions of followers with his trademark slogan “Yes we can!” Against the odds, the little known Senator from Illinois went on to defeat the 600 pound gorilla in the 2008 Democrat primary – Hillary Clinton […]
A very conscientious Catholic, Harold Baumeister, saw this cartoon in his hometown paper and had the conviction and gumption to do something about it! He wrote to the editor (letter follows) to let him know that he was deeply offended by this crass cartoon and that the pope and all Catholics will fight to defend our freedoms. […]
My mother was the first one of us to encounter Distributism. (She’ll find that out when she reads this article!) But when she made the decision to cast aside a job title and paycheck, in the eyes of the world, to begin the world of our family with my father, she was on the path. […]
In March 1964, New York City was rocked by the grisly murder of Kitty Genovese. Returning home from her job at a local sports bar, Genovese was attacked in the parking lot of her apartment complex and stabbed in the back while fleeing from her assailant. The murderer later returned to find Genovese collapsed in […]
As an entrepreneurship educator, studying the co-founder and former CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs, has been one of the great pleasures of the profession. At times, it even feels like an indulgence given the difficulty future technology leaders will surely have in replicating his contributions. In an industry where prices were continually being pushed down, […]
How can anyone remain interested in a religion which seems to have no concern with nine-tenths of his life? The Church’s approach to an intelligent carpenter is usually confined to exhorting him not to be drunk and disorderly in his leisure hours, and to come to church on Sundays. What the Church should be telling […]
St. Augustine said, “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity.” What an excellent summary of how to live out a love of Freedom. A love of our own freedom, and a love of the freedom of others. And this freedom is not simply “religious freedom” or “political freedom” but a freedom in […]
Among last week’s troubling headlines: ” ‘Jersey Shore’ scores most-watched season premiere ever: Opener drew 8.8 million total viewers.” Apparently, last Thursday night, overcome with news of our economic woes, millions of us sank into the sofa to escape to Italy with Snooki, the Situation, D.J. Paulie D and the rest of the gang from […]
As we continue to hear of the “gloom and doom” forecasts of economic issues in theUnited States, it is good to put our focus on where it belongs — God. InMinnesota, we have a radio station that has a catchy slogan: “Keep and eye on the sky and an ear to WCCO.” We can paraphrase […]
“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. Going out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, ‘You too go […]
The Grace and Peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you! Well, here we are in beautiful “Mini-sooota,” with its 10,000 lakes, beautiful vegetation, and thousands of parks and recreation facilities headed into one of our wonderful national holidays that celebrates our nation’s “birthday,” July 4th. We celebrate the signing […]
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts” — Winston Churchill. Winston Churchill purchased that insight with dear experience. I didn’t realize what a rollercoaster of Himalaya-highs and Death-Valley-lows his life was until I listened to The Teaching Company lecture series Churchill by J. Rufus Fears. The […]
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” I do not know of anyone who does not know this verse. Maybe it is the only one people can quote from memory, almost correctly. It really is […]
I love to explore new things. God has given me a sense of curiosity. My favorite slogan is, “Curiosity may have killed the cat… but satisfaction brought it back.” It amazes me that we so often pray and pray and pray for something and it seems as if God never hears our prayers. However, when […]
“So, during supper, fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God, he rose from supper and took off his outer garments” (John 13:2b-3b). This came from the reading on Holy Thursday this year. Each year, in the attempt to emphasize the true […]
On March 30, 1981, Ronald Reagan, president for merely 10 weeks, stepped outside the Washington Hilton. What happened next was an image millions would soon witness on their TV screens: America’s 40th president raised his arm to ward off a question from a reporter and then, seconds later, bullets crackled the air. Chaos ensued. More […]
Like many of my fellow business leaders, I do my best to stay current. I embrace social media, read the latest leadership books and stay abreast of trends in the marketplace. And from a workplace perspective, there is one particular conversation topic in full discourse across the country—Generation Y in Corporate America. It should be. […]
Tempus fugit. Time flies. “Mary, I don’t want you to get involved in anything at church for a year,” Richard asked nearly two years ago when we changed church parishes. We had moved because gas prices were high and our new parish was much closer – and our children loved the youth group at our new […]
Catholic Lane launched its new online home for Catholics on February 19, 2011 with a score of Catholic authors who came aboard offering their materials to the public – all because of their generosity and their commitment to Catholic Lane and its audience. As a small Catholic apostolate with a no offices, a small staff, […]
