Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Wisdom 9:13-18 2nd Reading: Philemon 9-10, 12-17 Responsorial: Psalm 90:3-6, 12-17 Gospel: Luke 14:25-33 Answering Jesus Call to Follow Him No Matter What the Cost Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost? (Luke […]
The critical components for our Armor of Virtue are almost assembled. Faith first forged for us a shield. Hope next honed for us a helmet. Now charity – the third and final theological virtue – builds for us a breastplate. In medieval times, the breastplate served two functions for a knight. The first was bodily […]
The latest big screen Ben-Hur is a fresh take on the beloved 1880 historical fiction novel: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace that deftly and intricately weaves the story of Judah Ben-Hur into the Gospel account of Jesus. However, it sadly limps in the faith department, which, of course, is the punchline […]
By Rolf Bauerdick NEW YORK (Aug. 24, 2016)—Katarina (19) has spent 17 years under the care of Sisters Admirata and Manda who run a home in Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital, for orphans and abandoned children. As an infant, Katarina was left in the care of her grandmother who could not handle the responsibility of caring […]
If you have never visited the southwest you might not think anything grows here that doesn’t have a thorn. Our yard, like most in the desert, is a mixture of stone, grass, succulents and tropicals. Now it goes without saying that water is a rare and precious commodity, so you might question the wisdom of […]
Last week the inaugural column in this “Armor of Virtue” series aimed to awake the knight within us awaiting formation and to be sent forth on a saving mission. It presented a shield forged in the first theological virtue of faith. It was designed to serve as a first line of defense, to be held […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29 2nd Reading: Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24 Responsorial: Psalm 68:4-7, 10-11-2 Gospel: Luke 14:1, 7-14 Making Jesus the Center of Your Life A more distinguished guest . . . (Luke 14:8) In the second century AD, the scientist/astronomer Claudius Ptolemy presented […]
School has begun and it is only a matter of time before what has become the perennially vexing problem of school prayer makes the headlines once again. From the Left, we can expect cautions against the “dangerous” practice of student-led prayer because of “how susceptible schoolchildren are to peer pressure”. My own upbringing was as […]
For a very short time, Puritanism was the dominant religion in America. The need to populate a large continent led to lots of immigration of lots of people from different religions. Since then, we Americans have developed a sardonic definition of “Puritan:” a person with the nagging feeling that somewhere, someone is having fun. We […]
When I met Moira (not her real name) she was completely broken-hearted. As the old song says, “I can tell by your eyes, you’ve probably been crying forever.” That was Moira. This forty-two year old mother had developed severe chronic progressive multiple sclerosis which put her into a wheelchair within a year of her diagnosis. […]
“Facts – not ideology – determine reality,” the American College of Pediatricians (ACP) said in a warning to legislators and educators about the dangers of surgical and medical sex change operations to children. “Conditioning children into believing that a lifetime of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex is normal and healthful is child […]
“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” – Mother Teresa “At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.” – Plato “For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.” – Judy Garland The concept […]
The Middle Ages molded men to serve their lords and their ladies as soldiers sheathed in armor. Knighthood wasn’t just a title or a symbolic honor as it is today. It was a position of trust forged within the complex relationships of medieval kingdoms and culture, requiring equal parts of metal and mettle. When placed […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Isaiah 66:18-21 2nd Reading: Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13 Responsorial: Psalm 117:1-2 Gospel: Luke 13:22-30 Receiving God’s Life-giving and Purifying Discipline God treats you as sons. (Hebrews 12:7) “Relationship.” The dictionary defines this word as “the way in which two or more people talk to, […]
The beloved classic, The Little Prince, was released simultaneously in theaters and on Netflix, and will not disappoint fans of the fable. Jeff Bridges’ rich, warm, craggy American voice brings to life Saint-Exupéry, the author and aviator. Three different kinds of storytelling visuals are utilized: the now-familiar computer animation, sporting oversized heads and large, expressive […]
“Lord, help us follow the example of your Son’s patience and endurance. May we face all life’s difficulties with confidence and faith.” — Christian Prayer, Liturgy of the Hours. This is one of the great gifts of our Christian faith: To know that Christ is greater than even the worst of our difficulties. He is […]
It really is, just think about it. By defining the dogma of Mary’s Assumption and celebrating it as a Holy Day of Obligation, the Church draws together all the most magnificent elements of our Faith: The Trinity – into whose life Mary was bodily inserted Jesus’ Resurrection – shared with His Blessed Mother, and eventually with all […]
My soul longing, I close my Bible. My desire is to rest — not to relax and take it easy, but to actively find a properly holy place of rest in my heart, mind and soul. I’m not seeking to recline on a Caribbean beach or to cast my gaze down upon a lush, green […]
By M.Z. de la Morena NEW YORK—Father ather Sebastiano D’Ambra, PIME, an Italian missionary, has spent almost 40 years in the Philippines, working for dialogue and peace between Christians and Muslims. His long-time positive outlook has recently changed drastically. “Before, the Philippines was a dream place for interreligious dialogue; there was complete harmony. But now […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10 2nd Reading: Hebrews 12:1-4 Responsorial: Psalm 40:2-4, 18 Gospel: Luke 12:49-53 What Does It Mean to Fix Our Eyes on Jesus? . . . keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus. (Hebrews 12:2) At one point during the Israelites’ journey to […]
Steven W. Mosher also contributed to this article. The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) reports that its affiliates ended the lives of nearly one million unborn children in 2015. In all 964,325, unborn children were terminated by chemical and surgical abortion by IPPF just last year alone. A million of anything is a staggering number. […]
Part one of this discussion can be found here. More subtly, Game of Thrones can be used to validate Machiavellian politics and shadowy character traits. Instead of mixed characters simply being portrayed as sympathetic due to the human condition, their warped aspects are made to seem acceptable and even heroic. It becomes more important to […]
Sex is easy. Obvious statement, so what’s the point? Birds do it. Beasts do it. Humans do it. There are those who prowl about the world pursuing sexual prey, consuming and discarding conquests like they were earning points in some sick game, attempting to satisfy a voracious carnal urge with little concern of consequence or […]
The headlines and lead stories on the latest Zika virus outbreak are concerning, especially to those who are pregnant or have young children. One report tells readers: “The World Health Organization has just declared the Zika virus to be a public health emergency. There’s good reason to believe that Zika causes a severe birth defect […]
