When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. (Revelation 8:1) There is a deep need within the human heart to pause in the presence of profound events, moments so significant that we feel compelled to join ourselves to them and reflect upon the change they bring […]
As I wrote a few months ago, I’m very grateful to be Catholic. However, having practiced the Faith (at least on paper) for my whole life, I took a lot of it for granted. Thus, it was only recently that I first pondered the question: what exactly is the Faith? The Church Is Filled With […]
No Faceless Crowd Before Jesus When we read, study, and pray with the Gospels it is important for us to remember who is the audience that Jesus is speaking to. I mention this scriptural tool in many of my homilies and talks I give, and recently a question came to me and this tool “How […]
I object to the profanation of sacred images and sacramentals in cinema. I have been writing about and meditating on the power of the Holy Cross, the Holy Roman Catholic Church and the enemies of our souls, demons and how evil has become more mainstream and acceptable. I love movies, especially the old vampire movies. Lugosi […]
“But thanks be to God, who has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” -1 Corinthians 15 Victory in Christ There is much talk today about becoming a more positive person. If you are on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and other sites, you will see quite a few posts and articles […]
I disagree with those who describe Our Lord’s Passion experience as humiliating, because I believe that they are merely projecting their perception of that situation on him. I can understand Our Lord’s embarrassment at being placed on public display nearly naked, given his great sense of purity. I can even understand Our Lord’s humanity being […]
I had a love-hate relationship with my mother’s tweezers and sewing needles growing up. I always ran to my mom when I so often would get wood slivers in my fingers as I spent summer days outside on our Northeastern Colorado farm. Back then I was found climbing fences, running in and out of sheds, […]
How does the Mass compete? The scenes from World Youth Day in Poland give hope that all is not lost. There is still a zeal for the Faith among young Catholics. Yet whenever I gather with other Catholic mothers of grown children there is always a sad story of a child who has left the […]
Christ is known as the Prince of Peace; as God the Son, through Whom “all things were made” (Nicene Creed), it is He alone who mediates true peace. And yet in this world we succumb to the wily tactics of the Great Deceiver, known as the “prince of this world.” The Bent One and his […]
There is quite a bit of interest these days in genealogy. Websites like Ancestry.com offer their extensive databases and resources to trace a family’s lineage. With the advent of the Genome Project it is now possible to use DNA to chart your family tree. Imagine discovering that your ancestors were royalty! How about famous? Or […]
A Message from the Pope Two years ago in 2014, Pope Francis made the following statement at his Angelus Address at St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City: “We are called…to become rest and comfort for our brothers and sisters, with a docile and humble attitude, in imitation of the Teacher. Docility and humility of heart help […]
Discovering the transformational love of Christ is something that sounds challenging for some of us. Maybe for others, it seems to be an easier task. We are currently in the “Year of Mercy” declared by our Holy Father Pope Francis which began at the start of the current liturgical year back in November. Pope Francis explained […]
There is so much to be said about the Eucharist. It is Christ’s supreme gift of Himself to mankind. We can never truly thank God enough for this new Passover meal, which replaces an ordinary sacrificed lamb with The Lamb of God, Jesus Himself. It is the true food that replaces the forbidden fruit. What […]
Last year, I wrote an article called Personalizing the Passion. After much thought, I decided to follow up on that article with a slightly different twist. This time, let’s take a look at some of the characters in the Passion, and then examine ourselves to see which one(s) we most closely represent in our daily […]
“I have a desire for something more in my life” I often hear. It is an echo of the deepest ache within, that insatiable hunger for Love Divine. But few realize where the banquet table lies that will satisfy. Few realize our calling as the Church to be a bride, the “Bride of Christ.” Very few know […]
There is a serious Catholic “man crisis”. Large numbers of men have left the Church and the majority of men who remain are lukewarm. The root cause? Men don’t know Jesus Christ. Men Giving Themselves to Christ Somehow, in the midst of heaps of Catholicism, the need to meet and know Jesus Christ gets lost. […]
For much of my adult life I have lived in areas that really offered only three of the four seasons. In the Deep South summer faded into a blended autumn and winter; by February, hints of spring were already evident. On the other hand, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula we only gave a passing nod to […]
Latin is a delectable puzzle of never-ending wordplay, deeper meanings, and historical wonder. My students like to learn it because it is filled with innumerable “a-ha!” moments, in which the meaning of one Latin root word can set the entire classroom into a tizzy. (A recent discussion of the root meanings of dexterous — right-handed […]
The recent United States Supreme Court decision declaring by man’s authority that two people of the same sex have the right to marry in all 50 states is a landmark moment for Catholics called to take a stand. After Roe v. Wade, there is no more compelling issue in the divine order of things about […]
We live in a hectic, deadline driven world. Whether at work or home, things are either speeding towards us from all sides, or we are flying headlong into one event after another. At the office we are in a constant state of managing the expectations of bosses, peers and customers. At home we rush kids […]
My husband called on his way home from work, tired and hungry. He had been in Atlanta since before the sun came up, and now he was stuck in traffic. He still had to go back to his office, which meant passing our house (which was still 25 miles away from where he was) and […]
Pope Francis has been in office for just over 100 days. Nearly every day this charismatic man delights us with his actions and words, filling our hearts with hope, hope for the magisterium of the Church, hope for all Catholics but most of all hope for our modern world, even hope for atheists. His very […]
We were all shocked and shattered when my brother announced that he wanted to become a priest. It was not just that he wanted to become a priest, but he wanted to become a Cistercian priest. That meant that once he left home he would never return. Naturally, my mother was totally bereft. She was […]
Many in the Church have made serious assertions that we can have a reasonable hope that at the Final Judgement Hell will be empty – that the Mercy of God is so great that even those that do not repent will be saved. Some have even gone so far as to assert that in the […]
The Doctrine of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist
The Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist has been believed by Christians since the time of the Apostles. Understanding this metaphysically and describing our belief in human terms has been a development over time, but the teaching that Jesus – Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity – is present in the bread and wine after […]
Cdl. McCarrick and the Conspiracy of the Well-Meaning
If you ask me what I know of the accusations against the archbishop emeritus of Washington, D.C., Cdl. Theodore McCarrick, I must reply, very little. I know he’s accused of sexually abusing at least one minor and three adults; while accusation isn’t proof, the reports seem credible enough to take his guilt as a working […]
Some Thoughts on Freedom and Truth
Some 242 years ago Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and the United States of America was born. We declared our freedom from the tyranny of King George. It’s been an interesting 242 years, to say the least. And the country – and the world – has come a long way since then. But […]
CURRENT RECRUITMENT STATUS: Thank you for your interest in Catholic Stand. However, at this time, we are not accepting inquiries for columnist positions. Who are we? Catholic Stand, an online publication presenting essays, offering substantive resources with thoughtful ...read more.
Connect
Connect with us on the following social media platforms.