There has been at times a tension in Christianity between an “active” and a “contemplative” life. This distinction was particularly prescient in medieval debates regarding
Last year, during a Secular Franciscan formation gathering, participants reflected on what we would call our Portiuncula—our own “Little Portion”. The exercise was creative, especially
A friend recently told me that the Old Testament book that brought her back to the Catholic faith was Ecclesiastes. “What is it about?” I
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present (Bil Keane, American cartoonist).
You’ve probably seen the inscription, “Jesus, I trust in You” at the bottom of the Divine Mercy Image. Jesus specifically asked for this to be
One of the first things I did after becoming Catholic, in my late 20’s, was to join a lay apostolate called The Legion of Mary.
So many people are turned off to God and organized, traditional religion because they are angry with God. The excuses for not praying or attending
We all experience loss throughout our lives. It is an inevitable part of the human experience. In the poem “One Art,” poet Elizabeth Bishop talks
In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus recounts all of his exploits to the Phaeacians before his final journey home. One of the more memorable moments from this
Parish ministry meetings should not be boring, ineffective, inefficient time-wasters! All too often, though, that’s how they end up. Each of us is called to
To my mind, the hardest evangelical question to answer is, “Why should I join the Catholic Church?” This question would not be quite as difficult
Sin is something with which we all struggle in this fallen world. Though each person is tempted by different kinds of sins, every sin, no
Recently, I was considering the reasons people give for rejecting religion, specifically Christianity. A pretty common refrain seems to be that most do not want
This series ends with the same questions that it began with; which relationships ought we prioritize in life, and how is that accomplished by love?
Pope Francis says clericalism is the cause of the clergy sex abuse scandals. Cardinal Burke contends that the cause is immoral homosexual activity. Who is
In the first installment in this series I briefly outlined a traditional argument from the Catholic philosophical tradition for the immateriality and, therefore, immortality of
A few months ago, I met a woman and struck up a friendly conversation with her. I had been telling her about my disability, and,
It’s not only worthwhile, but critical for our emotional and spiritual wellbeing to spend time forming healthy and positive friendships. And yet, it can
Now the Lord is spirit and where the spirt of the lord is, there is freedom. —2 Corinthians 3:17 It seems as if the most
Some of us may be old enough to remember the opening line of Elvis Presley’s song, “Are you lonesome tonight…?” As it turns out, a
Our World Will Pass Away In my senior year of high school, my English teacher showed us three examples of an excellent college application essay.
Both the modern culture and the Church have very clear ideas of what it means to be compassionate. Compassion is usually equated with gentleness, sweetness,
