A Matter of Faith

With Spring upon us, it is hard to look at the beauty we see in the natural world around us and not be filled with the sense of God’s majesty. In our Church, the advent of Spring also brings us the many opportunities to celebrate, with our youth, the Sacrament of Confirmation.

To many in the 20th century, humankind began to experience what St. John Paull II called “an eclipse of the sense of God.”

For many Catholics, silent prayer can be rather difficult. Many are so used to reciting from the treasury of wonderful prayers handed down by Sacred Tradition, that it becomes difficult to not rely on them. We become dependent on them and lack ability to speak from the heart.

In August 2019, the Pew Research Center released a study about the level of Catholic belief in the Real Presence of Lord in the Eucharist. It found that many United States Catholics do not believe the bread and wine used at Mass truly become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

Perhaps one of the greatest gifts Jesus gave to us is powerfully and dramatically presented to us in John’s Gospel – specifically, John 13:1-5. In the humble act of washing feet, Jesus teaches us how to serve.

Some of you might find this surprising but I get asked this question quite a lot by Catholics, not just my Protestant friends! I would like to share with you five reasons why I feel it is important that a crucifix should be in your home, and not just a cross: a crucifix.

As we approach another election (I hear a lot of “ughs!” out there), the amount of name-calling, heated (not respectful) debate, and judgmental dispersions are on the rise. This is not new. In fact, over the course of the last 30 years, the level of disrespectful discourse has greatly increased – exponentially so over the last decade.

There is a beautiful golf club in the community where I live. Because so many of its members live in houses on its perimeter, it’s not unusual to see people riding to and fro in their golf carts. For many, this is a classic image of retirement.

When I read Scripture, I often like to imagine myself being present and witnessing the events firsthand. So when I reflect on events like the Transfiguration, the Resurrection, and the Ascension, I like to put myself there – in that place and time – and think of what I would see and feel.

Holy Triduum – literally, the holy three days. One feast that is celebrated over a three-day period. The end of Holy Week.