Spirituality
This is third and final article in my article in my series reflecting on Pope Francis’ Bull of Indiction, “Spes Non Confundit” (Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025, May 9, 2024). (see “We Need Hope…
Read MoreLast week I began a short series of articles on the upcoming jubilee year of hope (see “We Need Hope Part I). I ended last week at paragraph 3 of Pope Francis’ Bull of Indiction, “Spes Non Confundit” (Bull of…
Read MoreIn my homily this past Sunday, I used the word hope thirteen times. This was not an accident. Hope is essential to our faith. Whether we live in hope or despair has a profound impact on how we look at…
Read MoreLast Saturday, November 9th, we celebrated the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. Those who do not wholly understand our veneration of the saints might see this feast as the Catholic Church worshipping a building. Our…
Read MoreHow do we look at our present age? How do we interpret what we see in the world today? Jesus speaks to us (see today’s gospel) of how we know that when we see certain things in the weather, we…
Read MoreIn a recent email discussion about some of the questions people ask about our Catholic faith, there was one question that struck me differently. By differently, I mean I made me think a person who would ask this question was…
Read MoreLent starts tomorrow (February 14, 2024). What comes to mind when you hear the word “Lent”? Do you have feelings of dread or joy? Why? Is Lent just something “necessary to get to Easter and the Resurrection”? We all want…
Read MoreToday we celebrate our national holiday of Thanksgiving. It is a secular holiday but the practice of giving thanks is very much in keeping with our faith. In fact, the word “Eucharist” means thanksgiving. We give thanks to God for…
Read MoreTwo weeks ago I wrote my first article, “What Does It Mean to be a Eucharistic People,” on Timothy P. O’Malley’s book, Becoming Eucharistic People: The Hope and Promise of Parish Life (Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press. 2022, part of the Engaging Catholicism series.)…
Read MoreLast week I wrote my first article, “What Does It Mean to be a Eucharistic People,” on Timothy P. O’Malley’s book, Becoming Eucharistic People: The Hope and Promise of Parish Life (Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press. 2022, part of the…
Read MoreAlmost three and a half years ago, our churches were shutdown by the arrival of the Coronavirus pandemic. In his new book, Becoming Eucharistic People: The Hope and Promise of Parish Life (Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press. 2022), part…
Read MoreGone are the days when men came to Sunday Mass in suits and women came in their nice dresses. We are offered something wonderful in the Mass (see my series The Greatest Gift: The Eucharist and Uncovering the Treasurers of…
Read MoreToday I offer something a little different. I have not written anything new today. What I have done is create a new page on my website that focuses on spirituality. There is no new material (yet) on the spirituality page.…
Read MoreAngels are a common part of our faith but how much do we really know about them? Our belief in angels is rooted in the Bible. According to a search on www.biblegateway.com, the word “angel” appears in the New American…
Read MoreI recently wrote “More on Fortune Telling and Reiki in the Bible”, followed by an article on “Crystals, Exorcisms, and New Age.” Today, I would like to complete what I began to say about New Age spirituality and conclude with…
Read More7th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year ALeviticus 19:1-2, 17-18Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13 (8a)1 Corinthians 3:16-23February 19, 2023 Today is our last Sunday before we begin Lent. The readings are picked for Ordinary Time but they give us some…
Read MoreLast week I wrote an article, “More on Fortune Telling and Reiki in the Bible”, as a direct follow-up to comments I made about fortune telling and Reiki in my homily on the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. Today I…
Read MoreTwo weeks ago, in my homily for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, I spoke about the relevancy of the Bible today. It was the Sunday of the Word of God and I used Deuteronomy 18:10-12a as an…
Read MoreLast week I wrote about how our lives can be superficial (“We Need to Look Into Our Hearts”). Today I would like to talk about how being superficial relates to problems in the world today. It starts with the question…
Read MoreOur readings today begin with the prophet Zephaniah calling us to “Seek the LORD.” God did not create us and walk away. God wants to be part of our lives everyday. We are called to humble ourselves to follow him.…
Read MoreAre we living lives that are superficial? Do we have relationships that have depth to them or do we keep everyone at a distance, even those we “communicate” with a lot? What do I mean by superficial? When we greet…
Read MoreThis is the tenth and final article in my series based on my reading of the Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis De Sales. Written 400 years ago, it is available in various translations. I am reading the 2015 version…
Read MoreThis is the ninth article in my series based on my reading of the Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis De Sales. Written 400 years ago, it is available in various translations. I am reading the 2015 version published by…
Read MoreThis is the eighth article in my series based on my reading of the Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis De Sales. Written 400 years ago, it is available in various translations. I am reading the 2015 version published by…
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