When I returned to Jesus Christ and His Church in 1984, it wasn’t as though a decade of unchecked sinful habits and behaviors fell by the wayside. I had to struggle mightily to replace vice with virtue. The struggle continues to this day. After all, “denying myself” and “turning the other cheek” don’t come naturally.
Deep down, we knew this day would come. When my family my moved to Ohio in 1993, we invited my mother Eileen (“Mom”) to come live with us. While still capable of living on her own, Mom was beginning to feel the effects of age and heart problems, and it was increasingly burdensome for her
For many men today, a “holy hour” means being able to watch the second half of a football game without interruption, and a “retreat” is a weekend that includes 36 holes of golf interspersed with appropriate beverages. In many parishes I’ve visited, the women far outnumber the men in the pews — and even in
All of us have had the experience of realizing that we have sinned. We understand that what we did was wrong, and we can readily discern the negative effects of our actions. We then sincerely ask the Lord for His mercy and we try to make things right with anyone we may have hurt. As
Last week we discussed the feast of All Saints and its relation to Halloween. This week we focus on the feast of All Souls which developed along with the feast of All Saints. The Church has consistently encouraged the offering of prayers and Mass for the souls of the faithful departed in purgatory. At the
Our Lord Jesus Christ calls each one of us to an intimate, personal relationship with Him. Unfortunately, some Catholics are uncomfortable with this “personal relationship” terminology. Yet Christianity is not a mere moral code, ethnic club, or cultural phenomenon. Rather, at its very core is the acceptance of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as
When the Supreme Court issued the Roe v. Wade decision 31 years ago, most pro-lifers understood that the Court had managed to resurrect Dred Scott v. Sandford, the 1857 decision that made it impossible to limit the spread of slavery prior to the Civil War. We are Approaching a Climactic Point Until this year I've
At least in my experience, God’s will has not always been easy to discern, even with the assistance of prayer and spiritual direction. Sure, I know the boundaries of moral decision-making. Under no circumstances may I lawfully choose to do evil. Further, I must fulfill the duties and obligations that go with my state in
One of my pet peeves is coming home at the end of the day to find my daughters’ bicycles strewn on the driveway. Of course I’m frustrated that I’m unable to pull into the garage. Even more, I expect the girls to take better care of their possessions. It's not that I care so much
[Editor's Note: This article is the fifth and final in a series on the theme “Being a Man after God’s Heart.” Click on the appropriate link to find the first article, the second article, the third article, or the fourth article] Our Heavenly Father is seeking men after His own heart (1 Sm 13:14), men
“Father, hear the prayers of the family you have gathered here before you” we hear in Eucharistic Prayer III. What do we think of when our parish priest reads these words at Mass? Are we alert enough to hear and embrace this petition? Do we consider this reference to our being a “family” a merely
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Thank you for being with us on this journey.
