Mary was assumed into heaven. It’s one of the more difficult teachings for converts to grasp. But there are ways to approach the Assumption so that non-Catholics may come to believe. In 1995, I wrote an article for Protestant newspapers called “Trends in Christian Fiction” which considered the possibility that a Christian fiction book might […]
Last year on Reformation Day (October 31) one of my cousins mentioned the Protestant “holiday” on Facebook. It was a celebratory post. “Happy Reformation Day!” Reformation Day marks the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. It highlights the Protestant reformers who began new denominations rather than remaining within the Catholic Church. I mention it in this […]
In the weeks that followed my father’s death, a phrase kept running through my head. All will be well, all will be well, and all manner of things will be well. Julian of Norwich said it, but here is the really odd thing. I had never read anything by Julian of Norwich. I had never […]
I remember the day I discovered the joy of playing with a prism and the power generated by a magnifying glass. I was sitting on the windowsill of our fifth grade classroom and chatting with friends. We were looking at Mrs. Grace’s plants and goofing around with the magnifying glasses and prisms. I was fascinated […]
It happened when I was in middle school. The Presbyterian Church held its annual General Assembly in Baltimore one year and Philadelphia the next. My father was selected to be a delegate from his presbytery, the first year as a seminary student and the second year as a member of the clergy. It was my […]
I attended an ecumenical prayer service for Christian unity in 2011. A Baptist pastor, United Church of Christ pastor, United Methodist pastor and our parish priest took part. As we prayed together, my heart went out to the Protestant ministers. I see them, and I think of my dad, the Protestant minister. Simultaneously, I find […]
My due date was the 26th of December, but by Christmas Eve 1985, I was ready to be done with it. I stretched out on the bed and reluctantly prepared for another night of leg cramps and propped pillows. The Christmas presents were wrapped and ready. The Christmas cookies decorated. The overnight hospital bag was […]
It’s the great dilemma for Catholics. We know that we are to share Christ. We are to go into the highways and byways and even into the Internet superhighway and tell the world about Jesus Christ and His Church. But we don’t know what to do about that troublesome word: proselytizing. Evangelism is good. Proselytizing is bad. […]
It was such a weird assignment. But, then again, it was a college sociology class, so that may explain a lot. Assignment? Deliberately do something counter to social mores, observe reactions of those around you, and write about it in your journal. One student – a middle-aged man with a large beer belly – went […]
Without a doubt, you know someone who is ready and just needs a little nudge. Chances are, you sit by him almost every week at Mass. Chances are, you work with her, and your conversations have turned to the topic of faith now and then. Maybe, you even kiss this person goodnight and call the […]
I must have been around four years old when I was first paraded in front of the church to sing with my sister. The song was “The B-I-B-L-E,” and I belted the words out with all the zeal I could muster. The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me; I stand alone on the Word […]
In the early 1990s, my sister lived in New Zealand and worked for a traveling science roadshow. We talked on the phone rarely. It was too expensive, and the voice delay on overseas phone calls was really frustrating. My sister began sending postcards to keep us current on her exciting adventure. One postcard stands out […]
