Have you heard about how everything will be okay in this world once the Pope consecrates Russia to Mary’s Immaculate Heart, as stated by Our Lady of Fatima? Have you heard the latest revelation from Medjugorje? Maybe you wonder what the person calling themselves Maria Divine Mercy is saying. One thing is for sure: We […]
Not too long ago, I came across two seemingly different perspectives on the relationship between God’s action in our lives and our faithfulness. This question had been on my mind lately. After four years of infertility and now some roadblocks in the process of adoption, I’m starting to wonder “What gives?” I’m sure it’s a reflection […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Wisdom 11:22–12:2; Psalm 145:1-2,8-11,13-14; 2 Thessalonians 1:11–2:2; Luke 19:1-10) Loving Others as Jesus Has Loved You He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner. (Luke 19:7) When Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, he made it clear that it […]
The Archdiocese of New York has published three handy booklets for parents, providing suggestions and examples on how to talk to their kids about the gift and responsibility of human sexuality. Each booklet focuses on a particular age group: primary grades, middle schoolers and teens. Fathers for Good spoke to Kimberly Quatela, chastity education coordinator […]
I remember during my dating days wanting to start a Bible study with a girl I was dating. She liked the idea, but asked “which commentary are we going to use in studying the Bible?” Puzzled, I said we wouldn’t be. We would just talk over the phone/in person about various Bible verses, what they […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Sirach 35:12-14,16-18; Psalm 34:2-3,17-19,23; 2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18; Luke 18:9-14) Living a Life Grounded in Godly Humility The one who humbles himself will be exalted. (Luke 18:14) Self-confidence is a virtue in business, in our families, and in our parishes. Think about St. Paul. He was very confident […]
In our attempts as Catholics to convince the wider world of the reasonableness and truth of Christian belief, we are often accused of being more adamant about what we are against than what we are for. The dustup over Pope Francis’ recent interview1 illustrates clearly how this is the case. Amidst the rush to come […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Exodus 17:8-13; Psalm 121:1-8; 2 Timothy 3:14–4:2; Luke 18:1-8) Saying Yes to God’s Plan and Mission for Your Life … so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:17) Imagine that you wake up one morning to find […]
Sometimes I think we traditionalists get far to caught up in the details of this or that crisis in the Church today that we forget why we are fighting. We become very much like the dystopians of the Old Testament. We aren’t fighting to restore some golden age. We are fighting to reach the golden age promised to the faithful in Heaven. If we can use the things of this world and this present age to reach that point, then even better.
Five years ago, I stepped into a room to cover a news story for work. I was flustered because I was almost late getting there. I’m only going to be interviewing children, I thought to myself. It shouldn’t be a big deal. The session began. Fifteen children sat in a circle, an adult with them. […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (2 Kings 5:14-17; Psalm 98:1-4; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Luke 17:11-19) Allowing Jesus to Heal us of Spiritual Leprosy Jesus, Master! Have pity on us! (Luke 17:13) Until recently, a diagnosis of leprosy was a death sentence—a long, slow sentence marked by physical deformity, social isolation, poverty, and […]
As the father of eleven who also knows the heartache of miscarriage, I was moved by a recent post by blogger Stacy Trasancos titled “The Spiritual Abortion Called Limbo,” exhorting even those who accept the longstanding theological opinion of the “limbo of the infants” to please pray for those innocent young souls who die before […]
A great opportunity to share the faith with both fallen away Catholics and with non-Catholics is to talk about that one central thing that distinguishes the Catholic Church apart from all other religions of the world.
In a previous article, I outlined my belief that one of the greatest dangers facing Catholicism today is a lack of belief in the doctrine of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. This lack of belief stems from failing to appreciate the wide-ranging conclusions from such an event. I pointed out how this problem has led […]
In my previous column, we examined how the words of Pope Francis found echo in Pope Leo XIII. A lot of Catholics were also “scandalized” by another statement from Pope Francis. When an atheist asked if the point of their meeting was to convert him, the Holy Father Stated: Proselytism is solemn nonsense, it makes […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4; Psalm 95:1-2,6-9; 2 Timothy 1:6-8,13-14; Luke 17:5-10) Living in the Power of God and Not the Power of Fear Stir into flame the gift of God. (2 Timothy 1:6) Did you know that fear is a gift from God? It helps us protect ourselves […]
Here we go again. Pope Francis gave another interview and already everyone is screaming. Other people have written about various aspects of it, but there’s one thing in particular I found interesting that I would like to talk about. This is the following statement everyone seems to be freaking out about: The most serious of the […]
In dialogues with Non-Catholics, most of the subjects you discuss won’t get you that far. Instead, they will frequently tell you something along these lines. “Jesus Christ didn’t found a religion, he founded a Church. That Church is based upon confessing Christ as your Savior. Catholics add to this and to the Bible with their […]
After decades of distracted catechesis on the faith, many contemporary Catholics have discerned two pressing needs: to learn why Marian devotion is such an integral element in the life of the Church, and to find a comprehensive (but accessible!) written work to offer to others who believe that there is no need to include Mary in […]
“But this I have against you, that you have forgotten your first love.” (Apocalypse 2:3) When it is asked what the biggest problem in the Church is, people respond in a variety of ways. Various Catholics cite the loss of the sense of sin, loss of the dignity of the human person, the dictatorship of […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Amos 6:1,4-7; Psalm 146:7-10; 1 Timothy 6:11-16; Luke 16:19-31) What it Means to be Christ to Others Lazarus … would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the … table. (Luke 16:20, 21) There are two issues at the heart of today’s Gospel […]
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 […]
We do not really want a religion that is right where we are right. We want a religion that is right where we are wrong. We do not want, as the newspapers say, a church that will move with the world. We want a church that will move the world. –G.K. Chesterton With the start […]
Knowing God by name allows us to enter into a relationship with him in a very intimate, personal way. While many of us know Him as “God” or “Father,” there are a vast array of names to which he will answer—and each signifies yet another of his unique aspects. The Eternal One The name of […]
