Readings for January 19, 2014: Second Sunday in Ordinary Time The Protestant Church is all about the Bible; the Catholic Church is all about the Sacraments. Right? Not exactly. When it comes to personal Bible reading, Protestants often put Catholics…
Behold the Lamb of God
Blown Away! Snowstorm Deepens Our Faith
It’s funny how the simple things can leave you flat on your face. One time it was my boots. Another time it was a job. This last time it was the recent snow and cold snap that jarred me. God…
Shooting to Be the Star of Wonder
On January 1, I watched (on TV) crazy, nutty people take the Polar Bear Plunge and throw their half-naked bodies out of the 16 below zero air temperature into icy cold waters through a hole that had been chiseled into…
The Last Best New Year’s Resolution
I suggest making one last resolution for the New Year: stop making them. Within the first month, most people have broken their resolutions anyways. Ask any health club manager about the January spike that levels out by February. You don’t…
Don’t Believe Everything You Read
You shouldn’t believe everything you read in the Bible… At least if you’re reading without considering the speaker or the context, that is. Perhaps you’ve been troubled by a passage you read, or, while spreading the good news, been confronted…
Waiting for the Next Big Thing
Today is the First Monday in Ordinary Time. A beginning, but not one that we really celebrate. Compared to the intensity of Advent—the color changes, the music, the familiar sermons about taking time for Advent—or the outright and overflowing joy…
The Baptism of the Lord
Readings for January 12, 2014: Feast of the Baptism of the Lord At first glance, the scene makes little sense. John’s strident call to repentance provokes an overwhelming response. People of all shapes and sizes flock to him in the…
Making a True Difference: Greater Good Technology
I love all of the terrific Catholic micro-funding campaigns going on — when we pool our small contributions together, the projects we help to fund have the potential to make lasting change in our world. Such is the case for Greater…
Drawn Together by the Bible
“Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence…” I had a great time at the new used bookstore this…
Catholic Pop Culture of 2013
There are many vulgar and immoral things in today’s popular culture. As a good friend of mine said, “Television today is a moral cesspool.” I therefore understand the impulse and reaction of many who choose not to spend their free…