Since the announcement of Pope Benedict XVI to renounce the Papacy at the end of this month, the Internet has been buzzing with the legend of the “List of St. Malachy.” This list is said to contain the names of all the Popes beginning with Pope Celestine II to the end of time. The total […]
The Church, by which I mean hierarchy, clergy, religious, and laity, must step up and face the challenge posed by the militant gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and queer activists — the GLBTQ coalition. It is simply not enough to defend marriage; we have to explain to the people in the pews, to our children, and […]
For medical reasons, some members of the Fenelon Clan are unable to precisely follow the Church’s precept to fast during Lent. Because of our conditions, we could receive dispensation from fasting altogether, but to us, that seems like the easy way out. We almost feel as if we’re cheating. So, we fast to the measure […]
I overheard him make the plans. On his way home from work he picked up the perfect wrist corsage. He wore his nicest suit, and waved to the kids and I as he drove to her house to pick her up for a night of dancing. I knew all about her, but I was okay. […]
What is the place of failure in the Christian life? Not long ago, I spoke with a Calvinist friend who has been “barred from the table” (not allowed to partake in the Lord’s Supper) due to his personal struggles with sin. As a Catholic, I can understand this, for we also refrain from receiving the […]
For the last several weeks I’ve been teaching an online course about the role of the Catholic laity. We’d just gotten to the subject of personal vocation when the startling news came through: Benedict XVI was stepping down as pope. Posting a question that Monday morning to get my students’ discussion rolling for the week, […]
In January, Catholic Lane shared the story of two young men from Bismarck, ND visiting Kenya for the first time with their adopted AIDS orphan brother. It was a story that had come full-circle, of an AIDS orphan growing up and returning home to help other orphans. Here is part II. We wake up early […]
We understand the sacraments as “visible signs of an invisible reality.” While this is true, it really doesn’t tell us much about the sacraments. A visible sign of what? What is the reality? The questions (and answers!) contemporary Catholicism provides are clearly not satisfying.
Question: What is purgatory, and why is it necessary? Purgatory is the state, place, or process by which a soul is purified for entrance into heaven. Conversion as a Process When we are converted to Christ and baptized, we are given grace which allows us to recognize our sins, and which begins to cleanse us […]
“Why do you bring God into every conversation?” This simple question was posed to me recently by someone I love dearly. Let me attempt to explain. How do you not bring the Author of Life into life itself? How can I speak of the reason for my joy, my hope, my strength without naming its […]
“[A]nd on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Matt. 16:18. When we hear these words, we often think of the Church as a fortress whose foundation is sunk into bedrock. We imagine enormous waves of evil buffeting the walls, but always falling back, dissipated […]
In most Catholic communities, “discernment” is a buzz word. Normally when I hear this word, my mind automatically connects it with another word: vocation. To be honest, this word used to frighten me. Every time I would hear the word at Mass or at another gathering, anxiety would soon follow. The following thoughts would stream […]
We’re a peculiar bunch, we humans. Most of us never seem to be satisfied with our lot in life. No matter how good or how bad, we instinctively reach out for something more. As someone who wears many different hats in a 24-hour period, I hate to admit it but I am guilty as charged. […]
Communion with Christ in the eucharist is the greatest privilege and sweetest joy of Catholic life. However, we must not allow this heavenly banquet to displace the other feast to which we are called: that of the Word. The Scriptures are, in their own way, heavenly food, and we must relish them with all due […]
The Second Vatican Council taught us that the Eucharist is the “Source and Summit” of the Christian life. Yet we must keep in mind that the same council makes clear that the Eucharist is not the sum total of the Christian life. In fact, the Eucharist and all the other sacraments are memorials of a […]
Second Sunday of Lent Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Genesis 15:5-12,17-18; Psalm 27:1,7-9,13-14; Philippians 3:17–4:1; Luke 9:28-36) Knowing Who We are in Christ “My joy and crown … stand firm in the Lord” (Philippians 4:1). Not only was St. Paul passionate about his faith, he was also highly educated. He was well […]
I am of the opinion that we cannot develop a proper evangelization and theology centered around the sacraments because of the way we currently practice our faith. Any proper evangelization begins at home, and we need to take a better look at some realities of our faith.
“Only a permanent formation of the heart and mind can actually create intelligibility and participation which is more than one external activity, which is an entering of the person, of his or her being into communion with the Church and thus in fellowship with Christ.”—Pope Benedict XVI this morning, in his annual address to the […]
My kids already know what I’m going to say. I can just picture them mouthing the words as I speak them, “Don’t forget to think about what you’re going to do for Lent, and make sure you do something positive, too.” There, I said it. And, I meant it. Of course I advocate the Church’s […]
“While the Lord continues to raise up examples of radical conversion, like Pavel Florensky, Etty Hillesum and Dorothy Day, he also constantly challenges those who have been raised in the faith to deeper conversion.”—Pope Benedict XVI, at his next-to-last General Audience, this morning in the Paul VI Audience Hall in Vatican City Benedict Reaches Out […]
He approached from the far side of the table taking the seat next to mine and posed this question, “How did I know that Mary really interceded in my life and could the blessings I encountered really be possible?” Perhaps, I could give him some “concrete examples?” I had just finished giving a little personal […]
For Ash Wednesday last year, my wife and I took the kids to mass at Fulton Sheen’s old seminary, the St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, MN. Located on bluffs above the Mississippi River, with a fine view of the river and the Minneapolis sky line across the water, it has a neat old church […]
Forty years ago today, Navy Admiral Jeremiah Denton was freed from captivity as a POW by the North Vietnamese in Hanoi. In May 2007, Admiral Denton agreed to serve as Chairman of the Thomas More Law Center’s Citizens Advisory Board. Admiral Jeremiah Denton served as United States Naval Aviator during the Vietnam War and was the […]
True as they all are, their answers are incomplete. They are means, not the end. Why does God wish to “marry us?” What is the purpose of God providing peace? As always, the answer may be found within the Scriptures
