Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (1 Kings 3:5,7-12; Psalm 119:57,72,76-77,127-130; Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 13:44-52) Knowing We are Treasured by God Out of joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. (Matthew 13:44) Have you ever noticed how much effort some people put into identifying themselves with certain […]
Warning! Spoilers Ahead!! Divergent is the latest of the teen dystopian future trilogies to hit the big screen. I have read all three books, Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant. Is it not my favorite trilogy in this growing genre, but I know that teens everywhere love it. I do appreciate that Veronica Roth has tackled some […]
While many people believe forgetting an injury is part of forgiveness, Fr. Justin Waltz, pastor of St. Leo’s Church in Minot, ND, suggested just the opposite during a retreat he gave. In fact, he stated that forgetting is not even possible. “The only type of forgetting I have heard of is stuffing,” he said during a […]
Abortion groups are fighting to make headway at the United Nations despite recent failures. Delegates and U.N. officials have been crammed into a bustling conference room at U.N. headquarters all week during tense negotiations on a new development scheme. Abortion groups and their supporters have been campaigning for more than two years to have “reproductive […]
It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father.—Pope St. John XXIII I often feel completely lost and befuddled as a Catholic father in today’s world. How do I set the right example? How do I help my sons grow up with a strong Catholic faith? How […]
Dreams Despite the geologists’ knowledge and craft, mocking magnets, graphs, and maps— in a split second the dream piles before us mountains as stony as real life. And since mountains, then valleys, plains with perfect infrastructures. Without engineers, contractors, workers, bulldozers, diggers, or supplies— raging highways, instant bridges, thickly populated pop-up cities. Without directors, megaphones, […]
At one time or another, we’ve all dreamed of a perfect world. Imagine a company where everyone is productive, a government full of honest politicians, a church where all are saints. Dreaming about such things is natural; expecting such things is dangerous. Unrealistic expectations lead to discouragement, despair, even cynicism. That would be bad enough. […]
When I got assigned to write about Pope Francis’ general audience on Confirmation, I was filled with joy. I smiled thinking how beautiful God works in our lives. I go to different churches and talk about the importance of Confirmation to our young people and tell them my story, and how the Holy Spirit worked […]
I am affectionately referred to by my three sons as, mudder. I do not know whence it came from, but it works. As a self-proclaimed writer of thoughts and words I have a tendency to author notes when issues or behaviors need to be addressed. According to our daughters, they can tell by the opening […]
My long-time English friend, Ann Farmer, has just sent me an interesting article from The Telegraph (London), which tells how all of Scotland is rejoicing at the prospective pregnancy of a captive giant panda. Tests indicate that the female, named Tian Tian (“sweetie”), has conceived but that implantation—that next stage in her pregnancy—is still a […]
For the first time, Catholic nuns have been the target of a concerted, brutal attack in Bangladesh involving a late-night attack by dozens of men that lasted over an hour. “50 to 60 armed men attacked the Boldipukur mission on July 7 at 2 a.m., and specifically the presbytery, the convent and the hospital,” Bishop […]
IVF Worldwide is an expansive online community that prides itself on being “the largest and most comprehensive in-vitro fertilization (IVF)-focused website for doctors, embryologists, nurses, and social workers.” While it’s meant to serve as a resource for those within the industry—because make no mistake about it, that’s what it is, an industry—couples considering using IVF […]
A stack of save-the-dates and wedding invitations covers a corner of my desk at home. By March 2015, five more of my friends and their significant others will have wed, while I — now nearly 29 — will have not. That I might witness all their vows without a date doesn’t bother me at all as I write […]
A few years ago, I entered my room to discover my little grandson looking up at a large crucifix on the wall above my bed. He turned and asked if that really happen?” “Yes it did.” I replied. “Did Jesus die?” he asked, turning back to look at the crucifix. “Yes, he did. But that’s […]
On Monday, June 30, Priests for Life expressed satisfaction with the Supreme Court’s decision in the Hobby Lobby case. Upon further analysis of that decision, we continue to be encouraged by it and by its implications for our own case, which has already been argued in the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, which could issue […]
Yielding to the Work of the Holy Spirit in Our Lives The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness. (Romans 8:26) If you remember nothing else about St. Paul, remember this: he loved to talk about the Holy Spirit! For just one example, take a look at chapter eight of his Letter to the […]
Peril as a Possession (Part Five: The Single Hound VI) Peril as a possession ’T is good to bear, Danger disintegrates satiety; There ’s Basis there Begets an awe, That searches Human Nature’s creases As clean as Fire Emily Dickinson
The story of Paul’s journey into Arabia begins and ends in the Temple at Jerusalem (Acts 7:1—8:1; 22:17-21). Paul made his scriptural debut as the young prosecutor who guarded the cloaks of the members of the lynch mob who stoned Stephen (Acts 7:58; 8:1). Scripture offers scant details about the next few years of Paul: […]
Life today is fast-paced and can lead us astray, so we need to slow down sometimes and reset our direction toward God. The best way to begin this reorientation is by making space – both physically and spiritually – for prayer in the home. This is the message of the book The Little Oratory: A […]
One common response that Protestants will use to defend or explain away their clear disunity in doctrine is by retreating into the dichotomy dogma, which they call the essentials of the faith, versus non-essentials of the faith. Their defense begins like this, ‘Our unity is found in that all true Christian churches agree on the […]
I’ve always loved gardening. Seeds I’ve planted include carrot, cucumber, and of course, zucchini. In each case, I’ve planted seeds in neat rows, expecting nearly all of them to sprout and yield fruit. But the farmer in Jesus’ parable (Mat 13:1-23) uses the broadcast method. Lots of seed cast everywhere. And predictably, many of these […]
This evening on Facebook, someone posted one of those reassuring Pinterest boards that read, “Sometimes in life we just need someone to be there for us. Someone who will listen. Someone who will understand us.” In past years, I would have grabbed onto this one and held tight. But I’ve come to believe that when we […]
The most powerful countries and institutions in the world promoting homosexual “rights” are finding resistance even where gay activists thought the battle had been won. The goal of normalizing same-sex relations through legislation is hitting roadblocks in legislatures, courts, and among people around the globe. While activists have succeeded in getting western societies to require […]
The migration of Christians out of Iraq will accelerate. This was the view held by the head of the Chaldean-Catholic Church, Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako. In an interview with the international Catholic pastoral charity, Aid to the Church in Need given on Saturday, June 28th in Ankawa, near Erbil, he said, “When I was […]
