Abortion is one of the most heated topics of discussion in our country. Anytime abortion comes to the fore in current events, it generates a communications firestorm. As Catholics, we have a responsibility to set the example in how we talk about abortion as well as when and where we talk about it.
Easter is a season of new beginnings. It’s a time for us to allow the blossoming of the spiritual seeds that Lent sowed in our hearts, and also to allow the restoration of that which was broken. The cry “He is risen!” is not a far-distant memory, but rather…
When Holy Week arrives, there is a sense of anticipation. Palm Sunday begins a countdown to Easter for many people, a time when we can return to the things we gave up for Lent. But is this the right way to approach Holy Week? How do we make the most effective use of our time during the holiest week of the liturgical year?
In the person of St. Joseph, the Church has a beautiful contradiction to the boastful nature of much of society. Strong, quiet, and gentle, Joseph stands out as a model that all people—men and women alike—can and should strive to follow.
“The Catholic Church is apostolic because it was founded by Christ on the apostles and, according to His divine will, has always been governed by their lawful successors.”
That’s a nice, clear-cut definition. Yet why does this mark matter? Of what significance is it for us?
“Catholic” is a tricky term to explain. We use it all the time in describing ourselves or the Church, but what do we really mean when we call it a mark of the Church?
If the Church possessing the mark of “One” seems contentious, how about her claim of a second mark: “Holy?”
Holy? What a bold claim! The Seventh-day Adventist I conversed with would certainly have some questions about this. She was confounded by the idea that…
“One?” an objector might exclaim. “Are you kidding me? Look at you Catholics! You’ve got traditionalists, charismatics, and all these different religious orders, rites, and liturgies. Some Catholics support abortion while others oppose it. You have one Pope saying this and another saying that. And yet you all call yourselves Catholic. How can you all be “One”?
After a religious debate with a Seventh-day Adventist, I wondered: How can someone know that Catholicism is the one true Faith? What unquestionable proofs does Catholicism have to offer that other churches do not?
In school, children are taught that the first Thanksgiving took place when Native Americans brought food to Puritan settlers. No one really thinks about the idea of giving thanks in a Catholic context. Since we celebrate Thanksgiving every year, it is important
Instead of expecting marriages to last, our culture has grown in the past century to tolerate and even expect divorce. Since all of us are sinful and imperfect, how can we confidently make a lifetime commitment to another flawed person in marriage?
Later that same day, I went in for a physical therapy appointment to treat a longstanding bout of tendonitis. It’s not a big issue, but lately I have been dissatisfied. My mindset has been to criticize my body…
When the Catholic Church uses a word like “celibacy,” the world’s reaction is immediately hostile. A lot of the time, the first word people think of is “restrictive.” The world sees celibacy as a ridiculous imposition that the Church puts upon some of her members to exercise excessive control over their lives.
God could have redeemed us in any number of ways, but He didn’t. He chose the Incarnation as the best way to save us. Why?
Catholics are known for many things. One is the set of ‘calisthenics’ we perform at Mass, which often bewilders newcomers—we stand, then sit, then stand again, sit again, stand again, kneel, etc. Another is the belief in the Real Presence…