Tomorrow, April 24, my community will be celebrating the Conversion of Saint Augustine. As some of you know, I am an Augustinian Friar, and we, as well as many other Religious Orders, have a calendar of unique Feasts. April 24…
Spirit Who?
We sometimes hear this phrase in preaching and/or teaching about the Church: “The fullness of the Spirit.” For me that’s a cue to the life-changing events that set my life onto a path that I never intended. That phrase makes…
Lifestyles of the Rich and Fallen
Recently, I had an epiphany. We spend a lot of time reaching out to the poor and hungry, but who is reaching out to the rich and fallen? Didn’t Jesus say: “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard…
Hearing the Shepherd’s Voice
Readings for April 21, 2013: Fourth Sunday of Easter What was the response to Jesus’ preaching, according to the New Testament? Some who heard him were impressed; others wanted to push him over a cliff (Luke 4:29). The same was…
Highlighting New Evangelizers: Catholic Underground
I don’t know how I’ve gone so long without the delight known as Catholic Underground in my life, but there you have it: even old dogs can find new podcasts. The Catholic Underground, though, isn’t just a podcast: it’s also…
On Haters and the Passion
When I first had the idea of doing a New Evangelizers blog series using Jesus and the Holy Family as examples to fight the Five Wounds of Secularization (Busyness, Consumerism/Materialism, Violence/Revenge, Individualism, and Entitlement), I thought Violence/Revenge would be the…
Do NOT Follow Your Heart
It’s the dogma of our curent culture: follow your heart. It’s such a part of who we think we are, of how we think we should make decisions, of what we strive to reach, that we’ve accepted it as capital-t True. But…
Why We Need Divine Mercy
We live in trying times. Terrorism from both jihad and abortion clinics is but one indicator that shows what a merciless and age we live in. But as evil and terror have increased, so too has the reach of God’s…
Why Doesn’t the Holy Spirit Have a Face?
I don’t know if you were like me growing up, but I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the nature of the Holy Spirit. I knew He was important because He’s mentioned with the Father and the Son. …
Liturgy: What’s the Point?
“So, about that liturgy of yours…” Sometimes the transcendence of a Eucharistic liturgy can get a little blurry. A bad microphone that makes the lector’s proclamation of Scripture unintelligible. The thermostat in the sanctuary turned up so high you can…