A while back, I used to see bumper stickers on many cars from on of the local megachurches that simply said “All In” with a logo of their church brand. It’s a popular phrase meaning “completely committed, ready and willing to devote myself to that particular church and their mission.” Not a bad public relations […]
All in for Holy Week Read More »
One of the many things I love about being Catholic is the interconnections between all the elements of our faith including the liturgical life of the Church, the devotional life, and the Holy Scriptures. The Scriptures come alive in these practices. Far more than just reading printed words on a page or doing a Bible
As we continue through our three-fold spiritual campaign this Lent of prayer, fasting, and alms-giving, in order to do penance for our sins and to draw closer to God, I wanted to focus today on fasting. There is an excellent article from Catholic Online, which delves into the benefits of fasting and its purpose. Check
Going Deep into Fasting Read More »
I am a bit of a statistics and survey-research nerd, so I recently read from the Pew Research Center on religion and public life the state that only 58% of self-identifying Catholics said they pray every day, with 13% reporting seldom or never praying. (We don’t do as well as Protestants in this regard, especially
Stepping up Our Prayer Read More »
Each of the four Gospels tells only part of the story of Jesus . . . and all of them leave out background facts that are essential to understanding events surrounding Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion. That’s because the Gospels were written for readers already familiar with many of the persons, places, parties, and politics that governed
The Last Hours of Jesus: From Gethsemane to Golgotha – Fr. Ralp Gorman, CP Read More »
Since Easter is so early this year, most of February is in Lent this year. So it’s easy to forget about the saints of the month. But they are worth reflecting on. Last Tuesday, on February 23rd, we celebrate the feast of St. Polycarp the martyr. He has the distinction of being the first martyr
How Eucharistic Faith was Handed Down Read More »
During the season of Lent, when the Church teaches on penance, I thought I would include some excerpts from the Catechism on what penance is and what the sacrament is. It has been my experience that, in the last 40 years, very few Catholics were properly taught about this and might need a refresher. Here’s
Penance in the Christian Life and the Sacrament of Penance (Confession) Read More »
Even though Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is still alive, he is now in his mid-90s and very frail so has ceased to write. From the time I was a seminarian almost 25 years ago, I loved to read what he wrote long before he ascended to the throne of Peter. As a professor, author, and
A Marriage Reflection on St. Valentine’s Day Read More »
As we move into Lent in just over a week, I wanted to wrap up some topics before then so I can focus later on the spiritual strategy of that holy season. I haven’t written about the saints of the month in a while, so I wanted to start with February 1st. John Paul II
Chairs, Revolutions, and Saints Read More »
In A Biblical Walk Through the Mass, Dr. Edward Sri takes us on a unique tour of the liturgy. Based on the revised translation of the Mass, this book explores the biblical roots of the words and gestures we experience in the liturgy and explains their profound significance. This intriguing look at the Mass is sure