Readings for August 18, 2013: Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time One of the themes of Pope Francis at World Youth Day 2013 was to “shake things up.” This is quite different from the advice I was given as a child:…
Let them go, let them grow!
It happens all too soon. That newborn baby, who needed you for everything from taking care of feeding and clothing to kissing boo-boos, suddenly doesn’t need you 24/7. I remember our youngest son at preschool age. I tried to talk…
Shed the Bushel Basket and Let Your Light Shine
It is human nature to be drawn toward the call of the past. Through the filtered lenses of our time telescope, we often get a much-too-perfect perception of the past. The way things were often seem so simple and so…
Solemnity of the Assumption
Readings for August 15, 2013: Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary I once asked a college theology class if anyone could explain the doctrine of the Assumption. A student replied, “Yeah, that’s the teaching whereby the Catholic…
The Power of Story: An Interview with Joseph Pearce
I recently had the pleasure of talking with Joseph Pearce about the power of personal stories, especially as a means of evangelism. He’s uniquely well-suited to the topic: he has taught and written on fictional characters’ journeys, and he has shared others’ stories…
3 Catholic Responses to John Boswell’s “Same-Sex Unions in Pre-Modern Europe”
As of late, the internet has been buzzing about a book written nearly 20 years ago called Same Sex Unions in Pre-Modern Europe. It was written by homosexual activist John Boswell and was published just after he died. But there…
Hope in the Face of Depravity
“Now, venerable Brethren, you know the times in which we live; they are scarcely less deplorable for the Christian religion than the worst days, which in time past were most full of misery to the Church. We see faith, the…
Hometown Prophet
Sometimes, sharing our faith in our own communities can be one of the biggest challenges we face as evangelizers – even Jesus struggled as a hometown prophet. When Jesus returned to Nazareth in Luke 4, they questioned His authority. They…
Faith and Belief
Readings for August 11, 2013: Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time I recently visited Italy and was reminded of the religious contrast between America and Europe. In Europe, large numbers of people consider themselves agnostics or even atheists. In America, something…