Tobit’s Dog is a love story amid the battle between heaven and hell for the souls of the good guys as well as the racists, murderers, rapists, thieves and connivers not portrayed in the biblical version of the Book of…
The Book of Tobit vs. ‘Tobit’s Dog,’ by Michael Nicholas Richard
Barnabas and Paul: Enabling Evangelization
Yesterday our Church celebrated the wonderful solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. Without question Paul is one of the most well-known, pivotal, and remarkable men to serve Jesus Christ as an evangelizer. Yet without a certain brother in Christ–Saint Barnabas,…
You Mean Life’s NOT All About Me?
Readings for June 29, 2014: Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles “Self” Magazine is certainly a sign of the times. This is an age when it is socially acceptable to admit that life is all about me. But selfishness…
Spiritual Warfare: The Full Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle…
How St. Thérèse Draws Me Closer to the Heart of Jesus
I first learned about St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus when I was 15 years old, a sophomore in a Catholic high school. In English class, her autobiography, Story of a Soul, was one of the options on our required…
Scheduling Evangelization into Parish Life
If you want to make something happen, put it on the calendar. Want to exercise more? Set days and times aside for exercising. Can’t seem to find time for prayer or Bible study? You can’t just hope you’ll “find the…
Lessons of the Sower, Part 4: The Good Soil
Previous posts in this series: Part 1: The Path, Part 2: The Rocks, Part 3: The Thorns. The final part of our series reflection on the Parable of the Sower is the happy ending. Now, I am a firm believer…
Creation in Me
In every human being there is a curious trait. Have you ever made, directed or organized something? You know, not necessarily a great work of literature or Fortune 500 Company or a breathtaking work of art. Anything: a finger painting,…
Do’s and Don’ts of Evangelization
A few weeks ago, I spent 30 hours with 40 8th graders in our parish’s Confirmation Boot Camp. Every year, one of the topics we bumble through is evangelization. Seriously: can we just strike that from the topic list? Plllleeeease?…
The Body of Christ?
Readings for June 22, 2014: Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) The Catholic Church teaches the doctrine of transubstantiation, namely, that in the Eucharist, the communion wafer and the altar wine are transformed and…