Recently, I began corresponding with a young man who once walked down a dark, destructive path. Eric is sentenced to twenty years in a Jamestown, ND prison for his third drug offense. He tracked me down through my publisher after…
From Catholic School to Prison
Pray; Listen; Wait
Seven times he said, “Go, look again!” (1 Kings 18: 41-46) Two weeks ago we celebrated Pentecost. Within the next week the school year ended and life has taken on a whole new energy. What do we do with all…
How Do You Measure Disciple-Making?
How do I know if my local church is making disciples? Whether you’re a person in the pew, volunteer leader, minister, staff, pastor, or parish council member–you should care. Your local church has the unique mission to foster initial and ongoing…
This is My Body
We value very greatly our God-given rights. Some of these were enumerated beautifully in the U.S. Declaration of Independence. We value life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Jesus was – is – truly man, as well as truly God,…
Humility and Blogging
“Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble.” A catchy tune and song popularized by Mac Davis could be an anthem for us bloggers today. Recently there was a bit of a mini-explosion over what one of my fellow bloggers posted…
Evangelical Catholicism: It’s Our Mission
This is the last installment of the ten traits of Evangelical Catholic from George Weigel’s book, Evangelical Catholicism. Previous posts here, here, here, and here. Trait nine reminds us that it is necessary to know and understand biblical language and images. The language of…
The Discipleship Riddle
I love today’s Gospel reading, likely because I have always enjoyed a good riddle. In verbal play, the surface meaning is generally not the only intended meaning. This double meaning is what makes the joke funny. It also provides further…
From Consumers to Coworkers in the New Evangelization
The Archdiocese of Detroit recently released a survey of the faithful that addressed many issues, including answers to the question: What characteristics are important in a quality pastor? Here’s what topped the list: Sounds like a pastor for the New Evangelization,…
Spend An Hour With Me
At the local Church I attend, one of the most enjoyable things I like to do before Mass, after my greeting prayers, is to read the church bulletin. I enjoy this for a number of reasons. It keeps me up-to-date…
Fire Water
Of the vast palette of human emotion, there is one visceral reaction that is completely uncontrollable and often times unexplainable: tears. Not the tears borne of physical pain or direct personal attack, but those tears that come out of nowhere…