Readings for October 12, 2014: 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time At age 16, life was about rock ‘n roll. If my own band was not performing on Saturday night, I was out in the audience, watching another band. It would…
The Sneakiest of the Deadly Sins
Reconciling Love and Justice
Psalm 145:8-9 tells us that “the Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. The Lord is good to all and compassionate toward all his works.” Does this mean that God will forgive anything? He is…
Make Babies
Sixth-grade catechism class naturally covers a lot of Catholic themes during its year-long trip through the Bible. One of them is marriage and children. I don’t ever stand in front of the kids and say, “Marriage and babies are good,…
Blessed, Beautiful and Bodacious
Pat Gohn, cancer survivor, celebrates womanhood by exploring a woman’s dignity, gifts and mission with exciting, personal stories. Discovering the gift of her womanhood brought her into a deeper relationship with God, her husband, family, and, to her surprise, the…
Cutting Through New Evangelization Branding
What is the New Evangelization? Given all the events, programs, and committees claiming the phrase “New Evangelization,” it’s actually kind of hard to tell sometimes. By the time “New Evangelization” talk makes its way from diocesan conferences and ministerial discussions to…
Peace and Security
Readings for October 5, 2014: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time A few years ago, I toured northern England. There, stretching 73 miles from coast to coast, the Roman Emperor Hadrian built a massive wall. Constructed of stone, it was built…
The Awe and Wonder of Creation
I have always loved the stories of St Francis Assisi and the animals. I’m sure most people are familiar with the story of the wolf that was attacking a village and how Francis was able to speak to the wolf…
Evernote as a Prayer Journal
It may sound overly geeky — the idea of using a tool like Evernote to help you with your prayer life. But then, I’m a pretty big geek. In their marketing lingo, Evernote says of itself, “For everything you’ll do,…
Rejection or Renewal: Which Will It Be?
A lot of Catholic bloggers and pundits have spilled a good deal of digital ink on the latest controversy to come out of the Archdiocese of New York: The St. Patrick’s Day parade will, for the first time, have marchers…
Catechesis: To Echo
In the last few years I have noticed more DVD or computer-based programs available for religious education programs. This year, there are three big ones out there for confirmation prep. I am using one for our confirmation program. And while…