Porta Fidei, the papal encyclical which opened the Year of Faith, tells us in paragraph 15: “The life of Christians knows the experience of joy as well as the experience of suffering. How many of the saints have lived in…
Blessed Isidore de Loor: Patron for Those with Cancer
Scabby People and That Grim-Faced Nun
One night decades ago I was watching TV; that nun, Mother Teresa, was on the Tonight Show. I knew she’d won a Nobel prize, took care of scabby people all day, and looked grim as cancer. What could they possibly…
Evangelization by Sequins
I called her The-Lady-Who-Sits-in-the-Pew-in-Front-of-Us. She was there every Sunday at the 10:15 a.m. Mass, about eight rows from the altar on the pulpit side of the church. Whether I ever saw her face I can’t recall. What I do remember,…
We Are the 1%
We have a problem, you and I. We too often take for granted what we have. We have come into personal wealth that the world, as a whole, is impoverished of. Most of us have never even earned it. We’re…
Knowing When to Walk Away
When evangelizing, when is it time to walk away? It may seem contrary to the spirit of evangelization, but it is a valid question. When you “go out into the deep,” in the words of our Savior Himself, it can…
The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary
Once known as the Feast of Our Lady of Victory, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary honors a 16th century victory that prevented Europe from being overrun by a Turkish invasion. In today’s world, many of us in…
Mustard Seed Faith
Readings for October 6, 2013: Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time We all admire the heroes of faith like St. Francis (feast day, October 4). Absolutely nothing stopped him in his pursuit of God’s glory. When, during the Crusades, he was…
Tapping into Divine Mercy
Today is the feast of St Faustina Kowalska, the young Polish sister who received revelations from Jesus about the depth of His love and His mercy. We should never be afraid to approach Him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Even…
Considerations about the Death Penalty
Last month I spoke about the difference between essential points of the faith and those areas where Catholics in good standing could disagree on the morality of an issue. One of those areas which is often a source of argument…
Memorization – It’s Not Just for Kids
Memorization as a style of learning goes in and out of fashion. Usually, we associate it with children. For many of us the word “memorization” brings back tedious memories of flash cards, spelling bees, or biology tests. But even as…