“I’m hesitant to evangelize, because I know that I’ll have to steer new Catholics so carefully, just to keep them away from the all the dissent within the Church.” That’s what one faithful Catholic confided, when I brought up the…
Saying or Praying?
How many times have you been lost in prayer? I do not mean lost in ecstasy, emotion, and spiritual bliss. I mean lost as in you are reciting a prayer but in your mind, you are contemplating what to cook for…
WWJD: The John 8 Test
Whenever I start to feel high and mighty about my faith and my Catholicism, I use the John 8 Test. This passage from John, chapter 8, is the “He who is without sin…” Bible story. I used to think was…
Keeping Christ in Christmas: Our Family’s Approach
“Actions speak louder than words.” “One picture is worth a thousand words.” “Talk is cheap.” There are lots of different sayings in the English language that generally express the same thing–words alone don’t do the necessary job of communicating, especially…
Parents, Do You Know?
There is a Christmas song I’ve heard a few times entitled “Mary Did You Know?” It asks Mary, the Mother of Jesus if she knew who her Son was and what his life meant to the world and to her….
Blessed Are the Poor at Christmas
Amid all the bustle of cooking, shopping, and family visits, we need to find a time of quiet and peace, a peace the world does not give. While I was growing up, Christmas was a wonderful time with grand traditions. I…
Nothing Is Lost
Last night I was talking to my dear aunt on the phone and, after telling me that she’s been saying one rosary after another for a special intention, she told me that she thought “Blessed Mother had her earplugs in.” Since…
Forming Intentional Disciples
I read a whole lotta books, but most of them aren’t germane to Catholicism. And if you want a review of Neptune’s Inferno or Korsun Pocket, there are plenty out there that I can’t improve on. On the other hand,…
Fielding Hot Potatoes: Mothers as Evangelists
The time: A weekday morning The place: A parish church The scene: A young mother, holding her baby and leading several older children, is leaving the church after Mass. The mother’s name is Anne Marie. As soon as she exits…
Advent and the Second Coming
Despite what the local radio stations and giant retailers say, we are not yet in the season of Christmas. We are now in that glorious season of Advent. “Advent” comes to us from the Latin word “adventus” which roughly translated…