In November our Church calls us to remember the remarkable of the Church both recognized (All Saints) and those unrecognized (All Souls). We set up memorial tables, reverence the book of the dead and attend memorial Masses. All the while…
You Saint You
Anonymity
…O Lord…strengthen me and save me, because I serve you just as my mother did. Psalm 86: 15-16 King David, who wrote this psalm, is well-known in Scripture. He killed the giant Goliath with only a sling and a few…
Last Words and First Freedoms
Among famous last words, Sir Thomas More’s give Catholics the best advice for this year’s ugly and acrimonious political campaigns. As he was walking up the scaffold to his execution, the former Chancellor to Henry VIII summed up his predicament—and…
10 Commandments in the Modern World Part 2 – DO NOT TAKE THE LORD’S NAME IN VAIN
As I wrote in an early article about the “Hallowed be Thy Name” section of the Lord’s prayer, the name of God is sacred. His name is the greatest revelation that was given to the Hebrew people as sign of…
Priests Need Your Love and Prayers, Not Your Criticism
We’re so used to getting what we want when we want it, myself included. And I’ve written before about how we get caught up in the details, and this can cause us to stray from a path of non-judgment and…
Face It
When it comes to Saints and Holy Things we all tend to get a bit overwhelmed by the realities that those situations present to us. Realities such as: 1. Saints were all simply ordinary people just like you and me….
Giving them roots and wings
Is it possible that in one short weekend our family of five is reduced to three? Yes. Friday: All the preparations for our son’s wedding are in place. Tuxes ready; church and reception hall decorated; hair and makeup in place;…
Don’t Engage with the Tempter
There are so many sources of temptation today. Though they classically come from three sources — the world, the flesh, and the devil — or what Aristotle might call their efficient causes, they manifest in many different people, places, and…
The Devil is in the Details. . . Literally!
I remember a time when I was at morning Mass. Just before the Our Father, the man next to me reached out to join hands. I explained that the priest was the intercessor for our prayers, and that is…
What Our Country Needs: “Return To Order” by John Horvat II
I heard about the book, Return To Order-Where We’ve Been, How We Got Here, and Where We Need to Go-From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society” by John Horvat II, over a year ago and ordered it. As I…