Catechetics

Backwash in the Chalice?

by Scott Smith March 19, 2013

One of the sweetest ladies I know asked me a question the other day that had been bothering her for a very long time. It was one of those questions that you don’t exactly know how to ask—much less, who…

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Pope Francis’ First Homily

by CE Editor March 15, 2013

In these three readings I see that there is something in common: it is movement. In the first reading, movement is the journey [itself]; in the second reading, movement is in the up-building of the Church. In the third, in…

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Red Shoes and the Room of Tears

by Judy Keane March 11, 2013

Like so many millions of Catholics around the world waiting for the traditional white smoke to begin to flow from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney, I can’t help but wonder who the next Pope will be to slip his feet into…

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How to Know Who the Pope is Faster Than (almost) Everyone Else

by Kevin Cotter March 11, 2013

The day will come soon. White smoke will billow out of the famous chimney (which by the way has its own unofficial Twitter handle: @papalsmokestack). St. Peter’s bells will ring. People will flood into St. Peter’s square while millions rush…

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The Fig Tree

by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D. March 1, 2013

Some think Lent is a time for fasting.  I see it as a time of feasting.
I come to this conclusion based on the story of the fig tree in Luke 13.  Three years without bearing fruit.  What could be…

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The Ten Weirdest Names for Jesus in the Bible

by Stephen Beale February 28, 2013

Jesus has many names in the Bible. In fact, there are well over one hundred of them—almost seven hundred according to one count.
 
In Scripture, a name signifies the mission and character of the one who bears it. Saul…

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Why Is Lent Forty Days?

by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D. February 15, 2013

In the English language, the special season before Easter is called “Lent.”  The word comes from the “lengthening” of daylight hours as we progress from the darkness of winter to the new light of spring.  But other languages, such as…

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The Magi: Men of International Intrigue

by Stephen Beale January 7, 2013

In the Infancy Narratives, the men from the East who follow a bright star across a desert to worship the baby in the manger are the ultimate men of mystery and international intrigue. No one seems quite sure who they…

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Are We Too Nice When We Evangelize?

by Russell Shaw December 14, 2012

Much has been said lately about how to do evangelization. I’ve contributed a bit to that myself. Now I begin to think that, instead of always stressing niceness, it might be good to give tough religion a try.
That idea…

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The Gift of Understanding!

by Mark Shea December 14, 2012

“An educated man knows many things, and one with much experience will speak with understanding.” (Sirach 34:9)
One persistent myth among many Christians is the notion that there is something intrinsically meritorious about being an ignoramus.  Such Christians typically boast…

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