I recently completed what I think is my 10th year of catechizing 6th-graders in Wednesday Night Sunday School. I love teaching, but I like to also sit down and have someone else be the teacher, especially if they really have…
Scapegoating the Body
Lessons of the Sower, Part 3: The Thorns
In our last two articles we reflected on the nature of distraction and how Satan uses that to keep us from letting Christ into our lives, and how a merely emotional connection to faith will cause that faith to die….
Humility and Blogging
“Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble.” A catchy tune and song popularized by Mac Davis could be an anthem for us bloggers today. Recently there was a bit of a mini-explosion over what one of my fellow bloggers posted…
Evangelical Catholicism: It’s Our Mission
This is the last installment of the ten traits of Evangelical Catholic from George Weigel’s book, Evangelical Catholicism. Previous posts here, here, here, and here. Trait nine reminds us that it is necessary to know and understand biblical language and images. The language of…
The Spirit Makes All the Difference
Readings for June 8, 2014: Pentecost Sunday As a teen, I thought the clergy were supposed to do everything. We laity were just called to pray, pay, and obey. Oh yes, and keep the commandments, of course. The original…
The Discipleship Riddle
I love today’s Gospel reading, likely because I have always enjoyed a good riddle. In verbal play, the surface meaning is generally not the only intended meaning. This double meaning is what makes the joke funny. It also provides further…
Marriage: What It Is
Marriage between one man and one woman is, for whatever reason, offensive to some people today. And because we don’t want to offend people we don’t talk about it in public. But it is important to educate people to the…
“OK Glass” – Five Catholic Applications for Google Glass
A recent flurry of press about the totally awesome Google Glass project left me pondering the Catholic take on the geekiest tool to come down the pike since the Segway. You guys know me – I love this stuff. And…
What the Samaritan Woman Teaches Us Evangelization
“Evangelism? That’s not my charism, not my personality.” “I need more education, first.” “I evangelize by example.” But the Second Vatican Council and all Popes since teach that all Catholics are called to evangelize in both deed and word. After…
Swept up by the Spirit: Journey of Transformation
“I have lived two vastly different lives—one spent exalting materialism and filled with spiritual darkness, the other spent exalting Jesus the Lord and filled with light and hope.” Because Gary Garner’s conversion was so “life and death,” he sees it that…