The USCCB states that evangelizing means bringing the Good News of Jesus into every human situation. So how can we everyday Catholics always be prepared to evangelize? Our behavior and our actions and the words we use are tools for evangelizing. They show that we are Christian. Saying grace before […]
St. Augustine: “Lent is the epitome of our whole life”
INTRODUCTION One of my favorite saints is Augustine of Hippo: his insight into matters of theology, philosophy, science and mathematics overwhelm me. His ideas about God and infinity, time, creation and evolution were advanced, and fit well into contemporary thinking. In this article I want to display what St. […]
The Promise of Lent and Grace of Eastertide
The one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Phillipians 1:6) As the end of Lent nears, we see how far we have come. And we see how far we have to go to become the holy children of […]
Rejoice! Gospel Meditations, by Louis Evely
Lent invites us to refresh our souls, to refocus our lives, to set things right. Rejoice! by Louis Evely, has a way of growing us out of our comfort zones into the light. It challenges us to lift our crosses and follow Jesus. Evely writes: “There were times when Jesus […]
Feast of Pontius Pilate, by E. Ann McIntyre
Who would have thought that any of the Gospel villains would merit a feast on the liturgical calendar or have churches erected in their memory? Believe it or not, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church considers Pontius Pilate and his wife, Claudia to be saints. A clear case for Claudia begins […]
Lazarus of Bethany: A Novel, By E. Ann McIntyre
Fictionalized representations of biblical characters often miss the mark. Nevertheless, the Bible serves as a vast treasury of plots and characters, including intriguing hints of narratives read between the lines. One of the most fascinating but little-known characters in the New Testament is Lazarus of Bethany—The Friend of the Lord. […]
From Bethlehem to Calvary
My parish has many lovely traditions and displays, but one in particular struck me and continues to strike me every year. There is a wooden cross on display outside our church during Lent, and another inside. Both are handmade at our parish each year — from our Christmas trees. At […]
Lent: Highlighting Forgiveness & Redemption for All; Even “Dutch” Schultz
We are now into the third week of Lent and the road to redemption has been halfway traveled. Throughout the world Catechumens have almost reached their goal of full inclusion into the Catholic Church, which takes place during the Easter Vigil. It is a beautiful thing. In addition, this past […]
Strengthen Your Lenten Journey With Fasting
When you hear the word “fasting,” do you automatically cringe? Do you dread Ash Wednesday or Good Friday? Or do you embrace the self-denial of fasting on those days? If you’re like most people, you might not look forward to Ash Wednesday or Good Friday, the Church’s compulsory days of […]
Yes, a Short Story by Ann McIntyre
During a cold and damp Lent, Yes, a homeless immigrant, barely survives his crossing of the Mediterranean to Italy. Suffering from pneumonia and a multitude of injuries, he finds shelter among Bernini’s colonnade in Vatican City, drawing disdainful stares from Christian tourists and members of the curia. Thanks to the […]