Readings for October 20, 2013: Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time I’ve often heard people say that they don’t want to trouble God with their petty needs and concerns. After all, he has more important things to attend to, like running…
Make Time for a Psalm-Sized Prayer Snack
Missionary Friendship Changes Everything
Editor’s Note: Today we welcome Marianna Bartholomew for a special guest post. Marianna is a wife and mom from the Chicago area who also homeschools, teaches, and writes. She’s award-winning journalist and contributor to the Catholic Vitamins podcast. She blogs at…
God Always Has Encouragement
I skimmed the October 6, 2013 readings before Mass as is my usual pre-Mass custom. In my infinite idiocy, I thought, Man, God is really playing with these people today. It seemed as first glance God was dangling the bait…
Turning Obstacles into Opportunities
I hate traffic! The other night as I was wedged in like a sardine on Interstate 94, I noticed the license plate in front of me was my brother-in-law’s initials, CPW. So, I thought, “I should say a little prayer…
On Emperors and Beanie Babies
Almost everyone knows of the fabled emperor that paraded the streets in his undergarments, believing he was adorned in the finest of cloth that only the foolish could not see. Lest he admit being a fool, he feigned witnessing the…
Jekyll and Hyde Morality
Am I a good person? This is a deep question of self reflection that is at the heart of the moral life. It is also one of the most difficult to answer because the answer is covered in limited perspective…
Witnessing vs. Wasting Time
Last month I wrote about a chance encounter with a pair of Jehovah’s Witnesses and my sudden appreciation for the usefulness of the Nicene Creed and other memorized prayers. Christian LeBlanc asked this question, “Curious if they accepted any data…
Think Like God
Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still and consider the wondrous works of God. (Job 37:14, KJV) Have you ever tried to count all the stars in the sky? You may even get to a couple thousand and someone interrupts…
Be Prepared to Share the Truth
I had an odd experience the other evening at a program in church. The topic was Moral Decision Making and was led by the pastor. Things were moving along quite nicely and we were getting ready to tend the discussion…
A Lifestyle of Thanksgiving
Readings for October 13, 2013: Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Leprosy is a dreadful thing anywhere, anytime. But in the ancient Near East, it was a particularly heavy burden to bear since it meant complete social isolation. You could, of…