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I look at the news and I hear about all of the division and anger in our country.  I know that is real for many people, but I sure don’t see it here. Even so, I have been pondering how I can be an agent for change.   What can I do to foster harmony and community?  This has been on my mind and heart for some time now.

I received a letter from a man who recently lost his wife. My response is below, and I share it with you in the hopes it will help the grieving:

​​​​​​​The tomb is empty!  Alleluia!  Our faith in Jesus is dependent on the bodily resurrection of Jesus.  We may say something like, “It is incredible that Jesus rose from the dead!”  We mean to say, that it is fantastic and wonderful, but there are many people in this world who will take the more literal meaning; it is not believable.  I would like to spend some time reflecting on the credibility of Jesus’ resurrection.  Please know that I am going to do so in a very brief manner.

Welcome to Holy Week.  Of course, if you get your paper on Friday afternoon you will have to wait a couple of days before it is officially so. Holy Week is to Lent as the final two minutes of a basketball game is to the rest of the contest.  

When the Lord came down to the top of Mount Sinai, He summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up to Him. Then the Lord spoke to Moses …” Exodus 19:20-21

I love to eat.  When we as humans eat something our digestive system takes the food, which is not a part of our body, and turns it into energy and minerals that become a part of our cells.  That which we cannot use is discarded as waste.  In other words, what we eat becomes part of us.  This is a true incorporation, literally speaking.  We are all familiar with the expression, “You are what you eat.”

Since the inauguration of the new president I have noticed a huge uptick in political posts on social media, more political topics during shows on Catholic radio, and so many conversations with Catholic friends end up with politics. 

Last time I talked about my desire to be holy and laid out some ideas for how to work toward that.  I focused on the human dimension of trying to grow.  This time I want to supplement what I did last time by talking about prayer and how essential prayer is to us growing in holiness, because without prayer we are just engaging in self-help techniques.

It is a new year.  I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and I hope it lasted for more than a day!  

Happy New Year! I know a lot of people are really glad to see 2020 exit. But you know, Jan. 1, 2021, is just one day after Dec. 31, 2020. 

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  Not so fast my friends.

On the First Sunday of Advent, Nov. 29, we begin a new liturgical year.  The liturgical year is a microcosm of the Christian Faith.

I am writing this on October 28th.  As I write this, I have no idea who will win the presidential or any other election.  As you read this, you will know.  But I do know this.  Jesus Christ is the Lord of all.  In the person of Jesus Christ, God entered into our fallen world.

In just a few days we will be celebrating Halloween. There will be candy and other treats to pass out or collect in the rite known as “Trick or Treat.” We all hope that COVID doesn’t smash this tradition this year.

I write this on the Feast of the Archangels, Sept. 29. I am not an expert on angels, but thought it would be helpful to correct some common misperceptions about angels.

I hope and pray that everyone is doing reasonably well after our little dance with Sally. What a year, huh? COVID-19, great civil unrest, worry about the economic impact from those, and now Sally. I know many of us are feeling like this string of events is straight out of the Book of Revelation.

Does the Church teach that, “Outside the Church there is no salvation?” WHAT? That would mean that everybody who is not Catholic is going to hell? Crazy!

We are all going to die. We all know that, and we all prefer to not think about it. To have a certain fear of death is normal. We have many fears related to death.

The Church gives us two feasts in the span of 8 days that are deeply connected. On Aug. 6 it was the Feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus, and Aug. 15 is the Feast of the Assumption (of Mary into heaven). I would first like to just state what each feast celebrates and then explain some theology behind them and the connection between the two.

I received an email from a wonderful Catholic in Dothan. She asked me to answer two questions. First, why do Catholics believe that we must confess our sins to a priest instead of just speaking directly to God? Second, “How do I answer people who say that Mass is so boring?” I will answer the first question in this issue and will address the second concern in the next issue.