We all experience loss throughout our lives. It is an inevitable part of the human experience. In the poem “One Art,” poet Elizabeth Bishop talks
In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus recounts all of his exploits to the Phaeacians before his final journey home. One of the more memorable moments from this
Parish ministry meetings should not be boring, ineffective, inefficient time-wasters! All too often, though, that’s how they end up. Each of us is called to
To my mind, the hardest evangelical question to answer is, “Why should I join the Catholic Church?” This question would not be quite as difficult
Sin is something with which we all struggle in this fallen world. Though each person is tempted by different kinds of sins, every sin, no
Recently, I was considering the reasons people give for rejecting religion, specifically Christianity. A pretty common refrain seems to be that most do not want
My New Year’s resolution is to make no more New Year’s resolutions. I’m going to stick with “new week’s” resolutions from here on out. New
This series ends with the same questions that it began with; which relationships ought we prioritize in life, and how is that accomplished by love?
Pope Francis says clericalism is the cause of the clergy sex abuse scandals. Cardinal Burke contends that the cause is immoral homosexual activity. Who is
In the first installment in this series I briefly outlined a traditional argument from the Catholic philosophical tradition for the immateriality and, therefore, immortality of
A few months ago, I met a woman and struck up a friendly conversation with her. I had been telling her about my disability, and,
It’s not only worthwhile, but critical for our emotional and spiritual wellbeing to spend time forming healthy and positive friendships. And yet, it can
Now the Lord is spirit and where the spirt of the lord is, there is freedom. —2 Corinthians 3:17 It seems as if the most
Some of us may be old enough to remember the opening line of Elvis Presley’s song, “Are you lonesome tonight…?” As it turns out, a
Our World Will Pass Away In my senior year of high school, my English teacher showed us three examples of an excellent college application essay.
Both the modern culture and the Church have very clear ideas of what it means to be compassionate. Compassion is usually equated with gentleness, sweetness,
In last month’s column I set the stage for a series of columns analyzing and explaining the constitution of human nature from a Catholic philosophical
Have you found yourself feeling increasingly worn out or beat down by the work you’re doing in your parish ministry? Do you find yourself on
In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus tells His disciples that He did not come to bring peace but, rather, the sword (Mt. 10:34). He tells the apostles
For some, the sights, signs and smells of the holidays bring joy and a warm feeling. But, while others are joyously diving into the season,
The woman walked into the sign shop. She needed to order a banner for her daughter’s swim team and knew the owners of this shop
In Part I of this discussion, the point was made that a fuller and deeper understanding of and appreciation of the works of Jane Austen