“Prayer is nothing else than an intimate friendship, a frequent heart-to-heart conversation with Him, Who we know loves us.” ~ St. Teresa of Avila Are you simply going through the motions when you pray or are you on fire for…
Fifteen Ways to Pump up Your Prayer Life
What Makes a Small Discipleship Group Different from Other Groups?
Last month I wrote about the critical importance of small groups in parish life. Even though we may feel a sense of belonging in a large community, genuine social interaction, including evangelization and discipleship, can only occur on the micro-scale….
The Church Uses Live Ammo
I’ve observed a general feeling in much of the world today that looks at the Catholic Church as an outdated group with quaint, if not retrograde, beliefs that just can’t leave well enough alone. “Who cares if people of the…
Repaying God
Part of the ability to evangelize to others is to first know yourself. When we stand secure in our faith and have knowledge about our faith, reaching out to others is less intimidating. As I come to know myself better,…
Walking in the Dark
“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, In paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them, and rugged places into plains. These are the things I…
Wise Words from Titus for Advent (and Beyond)
A reading from Titus at daily Mass this week really caught my attention. As it bounced around inside my head, my brain struggling to make sense of it, Paul’s words hit me as being an excellent guidepost for living as…
A Little Faith
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1, NAB) Faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain. This seems a little hard to wrap my mind around. Maybe…
Two Soul Mates: Perseverance and Conversion
One thing about being down; there’s nowhere to go but up. What gives us the strength to “go up”? Perseverance. Athletes have it! Parents have it! Our forefathers had it. Why shouldn’t we as Christians have it? The fact is…
Your Family Feast Days
The Catholic Church has taught that salvation is an ongoing process. St. Paul, for example, uses past, present, and future tense at different points (c.f. Rom 8:24, 2 Cor 2:15, Rom 5:9). We have been saved, in the past, by…
Infectious Sin
We had an Ebola scare in my region of the country. Before all of the facts were out, there was a lot of confusion and nervous laughter as people joked about the disease all the while masking their fear. I…