April 22 was the annual Earth Day celebration and many valuable seminars, lectures, and exhibits were provided around the country to increase the awareness of the challenges facing our environment. However, there were also some of the more radical views expressed such as the call for “nature rights”. Examples highlighted were a river in New […]
We all face difficult moments of darkness and anxiety when things can become difficult. Some may become disillusioned with life and lose hope. During these challenging times, hope can also be misunderstood. We may think that it is having a positive attitude or being optimistic. We may place our hope in things of this world, […]
Faith is introduced in daylight. But it actually becomes faith in the darkness, where we find ourselves vulnerable to every doubt and desire. Eventually, when the darkness fades, we grow in confidence and the roots of our faith go deeper. I learned that profoundly eight years ago this month when my youngest child received her […]
There may be evidence for a Big Bang, but there is no evidence that there was simply nothing, ‘no- thing’ whatsoever before it. What went bang? ‘Nothing’ can go bang. You do not need to be a scientist to know that, a two-year-old child knows that. The Big Bang Contained Love What created this surge […]
Memorial Day is upon us. For many, this is a time to prepare the backyard pool, warm up the grill, and invite family and friends over for a good old-fashioned B-B-Q. For me, Memorial Day is still about family and friends, but it is also about the U-S-A. From as far back as I can […]
Surely she had never asked God for anything except that He should let her have her will. And every time she had been granted what she asked for – for the most part. Now here she sat with a contrite heart – not because she had sinned against God but because she was unhappy that […]
On this particular day, before he made his way through the cube farm to his desk, Josh stopped by my carpeted cell on the way. “Last night, my wife and I went to a Catholic funeral, and there are a couple of things I want to ask about it.” Was his introduction, without a “Hi” […]
I have always had a special attraction to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Ever since I was a child, there was something about seeing a statue of Mary or her image in a painting that drew me to her. Out of the fullness of revealed truth that is contained in the Catholic Church, I have always […]
Catholicism and baseball would seemingly have little to do with each other. However, many have compared devotion to the cross and to the baseball diamond. New York University President John Sexton once wrote a book comparing baseball and religion. Journalist John L. Allen went a step further, comparing baseball to Catholicism in particular, although not […]
For many years, I enjoyed Stephen Colbert’s The Colbert Report. Colbert was funny in a positive way, never was vulgar, and was always respectful of his guests. Stephen Colbert Before and After Colbert made fun of himself, most of all, and that attribute of self-deprecating humor supported his open and frequent discussion of his own […]
Have you ever encountered someone who feels the Catholic Church is all about guilt? They ask: “Why do I have to go to Mass every Sunday? Why can’t I the receive the Eucharist if I missed Mass? Why do I have to go to confession?” Blaming the Church is an excuse people use to diminish […]
Do we really need to believe in certain miracles to be Christians? That is the question Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times asked Evangelical pastor Rev. Tim Keller and more recently former President Jimmy Carter. The answer Kristof seems to want is, “No, you can be skeptical about the Virgin Birth and the Resurrection […]
We tend to romanticize the past and feel anxious for the future to arrive. In doing so, we dismiss the present as a prelude or temporary step before something guaranteed to be better. In his novel, The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis illustrates the folly of this way of thinking through the advice of a senior […]
I have been working in the field of education for more than twenty years now. And every time I come to reflect upon the fruits of Easter, I always try to connect it to the work of educating young people. This month, I have decided to write about the relationship between the Resurrection story and […]
If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23) The Gospels and the Church tell us to pick up our cross daily. This might seem an overwhelming task but it is not precisely because Jesus embraced His cross first before He ever asked us to copy […]
Two Images, One Lord It would be difficult to name a person who is the subject of more works of art than Jesus Christ. For each such work, in a very real sense, every painting, sculpture, drawing, carving, mural, and crucifix reveals an artist’s vision of Jesus. Salvador Dali painted a famous image of Jesus, […]
For most Catholics today, the Sacrament of Confirmation is a mystery, a ritual that we celebrate simply as a formality without really understanding what it’s about. If anything, it is usually seen as a chance to personally choose to follow Jesus after our parents made that choice for us at our baptism. That’s unfortunate, because […]
In 1910 Florence Nightingale died. In her last will and testament, Nightingale bequeathed $1,500 [$40,000 in current values] to Sister of Mercy Mother Stanislaus of the Hospital of St. John and St. Elizabeth along with all her Catholic books in French and English. She left the same amount of money to the Reverend Mother […]
Don’t trust your pessimistic feelings. There was a great outpouring of elation from the laity and the clergy in 1959 when Pope John XXIII announced his plans to convene the Second Vatican Council. He was 68 years old and was considered too old to take on such a gigantic task. His optimism frightened the Cardinals […]
As Catholics, we believe that God revealed himself gradually to his chosen people, the Jews, and completed this Divine revelation in the Jewish Messiah, the Christ our Lord. We believe that Jesus Christ established the Catholic Church to transmit that revelation to all people through all generations. The revelation was not only knowledge but also […]
We all face difficult moments of darkness and anxiety when things can become difficult. Some may become disillusioned with life and lose hope. During these challenging times, hope can also be misunderstood. We may think that it is having a positive attitude or being optimistic. We may place our hope in things of this world, […]
Devotion to Mary Brought Me Closer to God
I have always had a special attraction to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Ever since I was a child, there was something about seeing a statue of Mary or her image in a painting that drew me to her. Out of the fullness of revealed truth that is contained in the Catholic Church, I have always […]
Can Christians Believe in a Christ Without Miracles?
Do we really need to believe in certain miracles to be Christians? That is the question Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times asked Evangelical pastor Rev. Tim Keller and more recently former President Jimmy Carter. The answer Kristof seems to want is, “No, you can be skeptical about the Virgin Birth and the Resurrection […]
Easter and Building a Curriculum of Hope
I have been working in the field of education for more than twenty years now. And every time I come to reflect upon the fruits of Easter, I always try to connect it to the work of educating young people. This month, I have decided to write about the relationship between the Resurrection story and […]
Catholics and Mental Illness: Coming Out of the Shadows
Since mental illness is as common and invisible among the faithful as it is in secular circles, concern for mental health cannot simply be relegated to the secular sphere, especially during Mental Health Awareness month in May. I admit the topic of how and why Catholics experience mental illness might seem completely irrelevant to most Catholics. […]
CURRENT RECRUITMENT STATUS: Thank you for your interest in Catholic Stand. At this time, we are accepting inquiries for columnist positions. Please read the guidelines below carefully. Who are we? Catholic Stand, an online publication presenting essays, offering ...read more.
Connect
Connect with us on the following social media platforms.