For those not walking with Our Lord, coincidences are a marvel. People gush: What are the odds? But for Christians who walk with the Lord, we are not amazed at the odds; we are amazed at God. One way I have opened the door to God acting in my life is that before taking a […]
To know the Virgin Mary is to love her. One way we can get to know her better is through her visits from Heaven to Earth. Marian apparitions are simply ‘private revelations’ illuminating aspects of faith but not revealing new ones since, according to Catholic doctrine, the age of public revelation ended with John, the last […]
Shielding my eyes from the blinding sun, I sensed, rather than heard, a presence to my left as I stood in line waiting to board the plane. His face was about five inches from mine. I could see his lips moving but could hear nothing. Finally I faced him squarely and he repeated himself. “What’s […]
Discomfort does not excuse us from evangelizing. After all, Jesus was uncomfortable on the cross. And if Scripture and the Catholic Catechism of the Church are to be taken seriously, it seems that we have no excuse. “Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist are sacraments of Christian initiation. They ground the common vocation of all Christ’s disciples, […]
One of the most intriguing aspects of Thanksgiving is that we give thanks around a table of food with people, typically family members, we may not care for. Though this point may be denied by some, it is fact of life that not everyone gets along. Sin, by our own free will can lead us […]
What are you doing this Friday? I’m asking about your penance, not that it’s my business, but the business of the Church is something I care about. And it seems that Friday penances largely disappeared along with the long lines outside Brown’s Fish and Chips every Friday. That was the fish restaurant in my neighborhood […]
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 […]
For St. John the Apostle, the empty tomb was all he needed to experience to believe in the Resurrection. But two who were later to be saints – Mary Magdalene and Thomas – began the first Easter season as nonbelievers. Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb not to assure herself that Christ is risen, but […]
Easter Sunday is not the end of our Easter celebration. After forty days of preparation with Lent, and the Easter Triduum from Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday, it is easy to miss looking ahead on the Church’s liturgical calendar. This is, after all, the climax of the Christian year with the celebration of the Passion, […]
We as Catholics believe that at death our material bodies are temporarily separated from our non-material souls until the end of time. We believe that at the end of time our bodies will be resurrected and re-united with our souls for eternity. For those who lived righteous lives their reunited bodies and souls will be […]
I woke up this morning. I could have instead been meeting my Maker, sautéing like a piece of human bacon in the eternal frying pan or dancing with angels. You must have woken too or you wouldn’t be reading this. Have you ever put much thought in that? Waking up in the morning is not even […]
Adoration: The intense and greatest admiration culminating in reverent worship of the divine. Acts of homage in words of praise, prayer or gifts that express the adoring attitude of the creature in the presence of his Creator. The expression of the soul’s mystical realization of God’s presence (Smith’s Bible Dictionary, 1901). There is just one […]
Shortly after I got married, a good priest gave me some sage advice: look at all your daily frustrations as a source of holiness. Later that day, my husband did something that irritated me, so I said to him through clenched teeth: “You are making me so holy right now.” Of course, this made us […]
A question that occasionally comes up when the topic of single Catholics is raised has to do with priorities. Some would say that the Church is too busy addressing the many moral evils in today’s society to be concerned with single people. This line of thinking, however, prevents the Church from seizing a great opportunity. Assisting […]
For sports fans and road trippers a visit to Canton Ohio is sure to feature a stop in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where much-loved teams are enshrined for their Super Bowl wins and their grid-iron greats. Just an hour’s drive southeast of Cleveland, Canton also boasts one of the largest US Presidential tombs […]
The presidency is bigger than the person who occupies the office. No outside enemy could have ever taken the Unites States by force. Rather, this enemy which is more clever and insidious, is attacking us from within. We are imploding as a country. Look around America, what do you see? It isn’t very pretty out […]
I sit here listening to one of my favorite reflective CD’s (Carl Herrgesell’s Reflections in the Key of Peace), playing in the background as I attempt to put little letters together and form words on a blank page. We are days away from a national election that has stirred in me an unprecedented level of both […]
Those of us who live in prosperous countries may not realize the full impact of the contraceptive ideology around the world. You know the ideology I mean: everyone old enough to give meaningful consent is entitled to unlimited sex without a live baby showing up. We tend to think governments should allow people to obtain […]
Kerygma [ku-RIG-muh]: preaching of the gospel of Christ, especially in the way of the early church. That’s me. I’m the stupid one. I might also add fumbling, unprepared, tongue-tied and more, but mostly I was stupid. Indeed I knew better, that evening years ago, seated at the town-square café with Petra, my first friend in […]
Even people who have no interest in Japanese culture or anime are suddenly aware of Pokémon Go. So popular, according to Google Analytics, it has surpassed even pornography as the most accessed thing on the internet. (See the Newsweek report here). The game has been covered in the media, discredited by disgruntled homeowners, and brought […]
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 […]
“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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
