Have you ever been grateful for something negative that happened to you? Well, maybe not while it’s happening. A friend of mine is a classic doting grandmother. Nothing fills her with joy more than a visit from her baby grandson,…
Become a Child of Christ
I’ve always loved today’s Gospel, and I like to give my imagination lots of room to run as I visualize what it must have been like to be one of the children with Jesus that day. Most commentaries focus on…
Clarity
You hear it a lot. You hear it in contract negotiation, in teaching, in foreign policy, in the writing of treaties and agreements. Clarity. People speak about “clarity” all of the time. We aim for it, we wish for it…
My Rosary, My Salvation
Last summer while visiting with my brother and his family at his cottage in Eastern Ontario, we decided to visit a historical Catholic Church at a nearby picturesque town and take in an afternoon Mass. I asked him if we…
Real Jesus
Way back in my Catholic school days, I could never figure out why folks in the Bible couldn’t figure out Jesus was the real Jesus. Pilot…clueless. Caiaphas…clueless. The Jewish mob…clueless. How could all these people miss Jesus? Couldn’t they see…
In a Minute
We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. (1 Corinthians 15: 51-52) “Minute, Mom.” If I had a penny for every time I heard that…
Music: God’s Arrow to the Heart
Most of my articles here at New Evangelizers have focused on apologetics: giving a logical and systematic defense and explanation of the faith. As a religion teacher, this has been the focus of my career, to remove the intellectual obstacles…
Art for the Soul
As a young girl, Nellie Edwards dreamed of becoming a fine art painter. Off and on, throughout her life, she tried to paint. “Every attempt was pretty pathetic,” she said. “I thought that maybe someday I would take lessons.” At…
Fasting and Prayer: A Pathway to Peace
I’m on the winter blues bandwagon again! Yes, it’s still here in Chicago: heavy snowfalls, bitter cold and wind, and school closings. Last month I wrote how these humbling conditions can actually be a step in deepening our faith. However,…
A Call to Action in the Central African Republic
Sorry, but I’m about to rock your pleasant workday. Since I returned from my trip to Rwanda with Catholic Relief Services, I read the news headlines with a new type of intensity. It seems I can no longer sip my…