Readings for November 9, 2013: Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome As a rebellious teenager, I thought that Catholics should stop wasting their money on expensive churches. We ought to sell them all and buy food…
Who Needs Church Buildings?
Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity
As the Year of Faith draws to a close later this month, Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, whose feast day is today, has much to say to us about the love of God which should “impel” us toward a more…
Being a Missionary
In his morning tweet earlier this week, Pope Francis thanked missionaries who “quietly work hard”: I thank all missionaries, men and women who quietly work hard for the Lord and their brothers and sisters. — Pope Francis (@Pontifex) November 4, 2013…
An Interview with Greg Willits on the New Evangelization
This week I would like to share my recent interview with New Evangelizers’ very own Greg Willits. This interview originally appeared on my blog at www.catholicbookblogger.com Enjoy! PETE: In the early part of your book The New Evangelization and You:…
Prayer Meetings: Evangelization in Action
Have you ever been to a prayer meeting? I went to my first prayer meeting in 1973 in a high school gym filled with hundreds of lay men and women and a few nuns and priests. What my husband told…
As for Me and My House
Each family must decide what matters to them most. “As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” -Joshua 24:15, NAB Joshua 24:15 looks good in a painting. It inspires others as a plaque on our wall. It’s…
Will You Open the Door for God’s Offer of Grace?
Readings for November 3, 2013: 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Tax collectors have never been popular. But in Roman Palestine, they were particularly hated. It was bad enough that they collaborated with the foreign oppressors. It’s understandable that the Jews…
A Brief History of All Souls’ Day
Happy Feast Day! As you are all probably aware, today we are commemorating All Souls’ Day, the companion celebration to yesterday’s Feast of All Saints. Celebrating the legacy of all our saints makes sense, but how did it come to…
All Saints Day Means Holiness is for All
Readings for November 1, 2013: Solemnity of All Saints At age 16, I thought that aspiring to holiness was out of the question. If you really wanted to be holy, I thought, you had to be a priest, nun, or…
Why Moral Relativism is Impossible
Pope Benedict XVI often spoke about the dictatorship of relativism. It is a horribly destructive moral theory that has done more damage to modern society than almost any other philosophy. You have probably encountered this in one form or another…