Any bit of contrition
Always lost for words, I never knew what to say to God as I tried to focus my attention on him at Sunday Mass. I admit that I did not always find Mass interesting. I attended every week mostly out...
Category: Reflection
To be made whole
My schedule today meant that I was unable to attend Mass at my parish, and I wound up going to Mass at another nearby church for All Saints’ Day. The Mass was celebrated simply — there was no music, there...
Why do we pray for those who have died?
November is the month of All Souls. It is a time when we Catholics remember and pray for those who have died. The Church sets aside this month especially for prayer on behalf of the souls of those in Purgatory....
Remember that Jesus Christ is in our presence
I’d like to reflect on reverence at Mass. I know that in our fast-paced, constantly moving society, it can be easy to forget how important it is to show reverence when we come to church on Sundays and holy days....
“Everything Is Grace”
Two years ago, the Pew Research Center conducted a poll and found that barely 1/3 of self-described Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. This realization that most of those who identify themselves as Catholics do...
On Metanoia and Grace
In 1989, a youth minister named Janie Tinklenberg read a book authored by Topeka minister Charles M. Sheldon entitled In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do? In the book, Sheldon challenged his readers to consider how Jesus would respond when...
Have You no Faith?
A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care...
Evangelization Continues with Dialogue
In the mid-1600s, a young Native American girl whose entire family had been lost to smallpox was adopted and raised by her Mohawk uncle, refused to marry, and took a vow of chastity in devotion to her new Christian faith....
Do You Love God Chastely?
To introduce the year of St. Joseph, Pope Francis wrote one of the most beautiful letters of his papacy, his Apostolic Letter Patris Corde. Throughout the letter, the Holy Father reflects on many characteristics of St. Joseph. In his reflection...
Finding orthodox Catholicism
In the summer of 2020, during the long lent of the Covid-19 pandemic, Churches began opening up on a limited basis, and often with strict limitations: mask requirements, building capacity restrictions, social distancing, roped off pews, sign-up sheets. One of...
Pope Francis, discernment, and spontaneity
One of the transformational moments in my spiritual journey was the realization that in order to grow in faith and my relationship with God, I would have to learn to live with tension and uncertainty. Accepting and living with tension...
Prayer for Autumn
As the book of Ecclesiastes reminds us, there is a season for everything. Not all of us are afforded the feeling of readiness for the changes as they come our way. For some, change can’t come soon enough. No matter...
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