Faith
How to go 25 years without being discouraged
I meet with a great group of people every Wednesday morning.
We talk about serious faith issues. We’re all Catholic, and love learning more about our Church. The bond amongst this group is tremendous. Some of us are converts to the faith, coming from diverse faith backgrounds such as Christian Science, and even atheism.
We each have problems in our lives. When things are particularly tough, we pray together about these problems. We talk them out, encourage each other, sometimes injecting a little humor to put things in perspective …
God loves us into existence
Zacchaeus was a scumbag.
He wasn’t just a tax collector at the time of Christ, he was the chief tax collector. He collaborated with the Romans by becoming their tax collector, seizing money from his Jewish neighbors on behalf of their oppressors, and keeping a cut for himself.
A modern equivalent for a liberal would be a greedy capitalist who exploits the little guy so he can live in his fancy, gated community while the world falls apart around him.
A modern equivalent for a conservative might be a politician who seizes (taxes) money from the little guy and passes it onto their pals in the human abortion industry …
Trying to understand the "Real Presence" of Christ in the Eucharist
Holy Eucharist separates Catholics from non-Catholics.
Eucharist is at once utterly simple to understand and yet totally complex, even absurd. Jesus drew crowds wherever he went. The one time He lost His audience is the first time He tried to explain the “Real Presence” in the Gospel of John, chapter six.
Jesus probably would have lost me, too.
Justice Scalia and Pope Francis discuss Satan
I don’t recall ever hearing a homily on the subject of Satan in the Catholic Church.
I’ve attended over 2000 Masses since I converted to the Church years ago. Satan isn’t a subject that most people are comfortable talking about. Many people will dismissively roll their eyes if you invoke the subject. The sense is something like: “you superstitious fool, time to enter the 21st century.
Some people are frightened of the subject. Some people perceive Satan as an abstraction rather than a specific evil being.
Interestingly, two prominent people were just in the news acknowledging their belief in Satan: Supreme Court Justice, Anthony Scalia and Pope Francis …
Get ready for Muslim Appreciation Month
In one of his many Executive Orders, President Obama, has recently announced that he is declaring November as “Muslim Appreciation Month” citing all their valuable contributions to our society, and lamenting how many have been killed in the recent wars in the Middle East …
Read MoreObama Government erects artificial barrier between Catholic priests and our soldiers
Marc was stationed in Afghanistan for thirteen months.
The place sounds like a living hell. He said you never knew when violence could erupt. Marc, a friend of mine, was there to rebuild roads. His unit wasn’t there to destroy; they were there to build. And yet an invisible sniper took aim at Marc one day and pulled the trigger.
The bullet headed for his brain …
So this guy driving a junker walks up and hands me a twenty dollar bill
The man drove a junker.
I was standing outside of a Planned Parenthood human abortion clinic here in Des Moines. I was praying the Rosary with friends, prayers on behalf of the preborn, their moms and dads, and even the workers in the human abortion factories, when I heard his car …
True or false: the time has come to normalize sin
When is the Catholic Church going to BEGIN talking about abortion, contraception, and homosexual sin?
I pose this provocative question in light of Pope Francis’ concern that the Church has become too focused on these issues at the expense of a more positive, radiant message of the Gospels …
Beware the music of heaven!
One of the most inspiring compositions in the history of the human race was Beethoven’s final symphony, his famous 9th.
The final “Ode to Joy” movement stirs even the most hardened of hearts. This symphony is comprised of tens of thousands of notes. It melts our soul.
And yet a single note of heaven’s song puts us in a coma …