4th Sunday in Lent, Cycle C “For our sakes God made him who did not know sin to be sin, so that in him we might become the very holiness of God” (2 Cor 5:21). Some Christians reading these words over the last few centuries have gotten the wrong idea. They’ve put this Scripture together […]
Fifth Sunday of Lent Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126:1-6; Philippians 3:8-14; John 8:1-11) Receiving God’s Mercy and Forgiveness Neither do I condemn you. (John 8:11) Every day, we face condemnation, whether it be from an enemy, from a friend, from the devil, or from our own guilty consciences. […]
March 6, 2013, Wednesday — Silence Silence, of a sort, has descended over the meeting of the cardinals in the lead-up to the Conclave. The American cardinals today canceled their scheduled press conference at the North American College — the NAC, as it is called, on the Janiculum Hill just above the Vatican. Cardinal Timothy […]
“I hope we get a nice pope,” a good Catholic woman told me soon after Benedict XVI announced his resignation. “I don’t care whether he’s nice or not,” I replied. “I just hope he’s strong.” Actually, I’d be glad if the next pope were nice, with a winning smile and a friendly manner. But vastly […]
This is the third in a series in which I attempt to address the question, “What is purgatory, and why is it necessary?” by expanding on the simple answer that Purgatory is the state, place, or process by which a soul is purified for entrance into heaven. Part 1 is here and Part 2 can be found here. “So […]
The topic for discussion at my local Theology on Tap recently was evangelization and Christ’s instructions to His Apostles to go out and spread the Good News: Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in […]
Comments agitating for “women in the priesthood” are found throughout the media, voiced largely by outsiders to the Catholic Church, either non-Catholics or those who have willingly distanced themselves from the Church, so when I read this headline – “Exclusive: Women deserve bigger role in Church, says key cardinal” — my visceral reaction was negative. […]
As I make my way through Lent, I like to periodically stop and assess how I’m doing, and re-orientate myself toward my Lenten goal. This year, I’m feeling a bit scattered, and although I’ve been doing a pretty good job at keeping my Lenten resolutions, I don’t feel as though I have a really good […]
I had a friend who first heard of the Divine Mercy Message just in time to celebrate the Feast in 2011. Within a year she was dead at the age of 55. She was blessed to learn of the Feast of Divine Mercy when she did but how many others will not. Over and over I hear […]
As a teacher, one of the most frustrating parts of my job is when I have spent time and energy planning and explaining an assignment or topic only to discover that my students have been left bewildered and overwhelmed by my presentation. Some times it feels as though I honestly could not make the topic […]
Recently while perusing Marian books at a Catholic gift store, I discovered many of the topics pertained to Marian apparitions, some approved and others not. Over dinner, I mentioned that I enjoyed the study of Mary, known as Mariology, and the other person shared with me that he had visited Lourdes. After giving a talk on the rosary, someone from the congregation asked, “What do you think […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Joshua 5:9-12; Psalm 34:2-7; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Luke 15:1-3,11-32) Answering the Call to be Ambassadors for Christ We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. (2 Corinthians 5:20) During a high school trip around the world, William Borden, the heir of the Borden […]
When we consider the Sacrament of Baptism, two things become readily apparent. The first is how important baptism is in the Scriptures. Out of all the sacraments, none are foretold more than the sacrament of Baptism. (See Gen 1:2, Ez 36:25, 2 Kings 5:10-15, Is 1:16 to name but a few examples.) The other is […]
St. Asterius of Amasea wrote: “Reflect for a moment on the wealth of [God’s] kindness. Before he came as a man to be among men, he sent John the Baptist to preach repentance and lead men to practice it. John himself was preceded by the prophets, who were to teach the people to repent, to […]
Recently, Pope Benedict XVI, now Pope Emeritus, criticized the media for it’s continued misrepresenting of Vatican II. In response, NET (New Evangelization Television) debuted a 10-part weekly series called Vatican II: Inside the Vatican Council, on Thursday, February 21 at 8:30 PM ET. CNA/EWTN reported that “Pope Benedict XVI said that many of the misinterpretations of the Second […]
Benedict XVI has given his final papal blessing, the doors of Castelgandolfo have been sealed, and the Swiss Guard has hung their halberds because there is no pope for them to guard. Now, the Church waits in prayerful anticipation of the upcoming conclave and the installation of a new pope who will lead the Catholic […]
The heart of this simple sinful man aches today as our Church bides the Holy Father a prayerful farewell from the visible throne of Peter. It is often said that we rarely appreciate those who are in our midst until they are no longer with us. No doubt, this will be the sentiment with respect […]
This is the second in a series in which I attempt to address the question, “What is purgatory, and why is it necessary?” by expanding on the simple answer that Purgatory is the state, place, or process by which a soul is purified for entrance into heaven. Part 1 can be found here. “The doctrine [of […]
The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (Matthew 23:11–12). God’s ways are not naturally our ways. God calls us to be servants or slaves to others. Humility is truth, that is the truth of who we are, including the good and […]
It’s Lent and time to take into consideration what we can do to strengthen our relationship with God and grow more deeply in our faith. Lord only knows how badly our world needs stronger faithful people! What better way to do that than adding extra time with the sacraments of confession and the Eucharist? Christ […]
When I was in graduate school studying theology, I took a course on the Trinity. It featured a very large scholarly book and lots of Greek words. I found it fascinating, but understood relatively little. There is a reason why the Trinity is considered a mystery. In The ‘One Thing’ is Three: How the Most […]
She’s 14 years old. Still active, she is gray in the muzzle; everywhere else she is completely white. She is the older dog; the wise one. You can see how her bones ache by how she moves. It is different from when she swam ten miles behind my kayak without any effort. But even though […]
Most religions in the ancient world were local or national cults. The Egyptians worshiped Isis and Osiris. Athens was named after the goddess Athena. Ephesus was the center of the cult of Artemis. But when the Church was born on Pentecost Sunday, it was comprised of people from every nation under heaven, all of whom […]
Third Sunday of Lent Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Exodus 3:1-8,13-15; Psalm 103:1-4,6-8,11: 1 Corinthians 10:1-6,10-12; Luke 13:1-9) Receiving Jesus’ Compassion and Giving it to Others I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it. (Luke 13:8) The parable of the fig tree tells us that God is constantly at work […]
