Each Thanksgiving I try to give thanks for a different list of blessings. This year I thank my fellow Catholics. Thank you, sacristans and altar servers. You bring reverence and order to our celebration. Thank you, hospitality ministers for spotting empty seats and for welcoming visitors on our behalf. Thank you, music ministers. Your hymns […]

We know that all Christians have an obligation to spread the Good News. Yet few of us feel comfortable urging people to learn more about Jesus, much less join his church. Perhaps the recent election offers some tips for evangelization. Our friends, colleagues and neighbors know whether we’re Democrats or Republicans. Surely we can find […]

Our family had a serious health scare recently. We’re not completely out of the woods yet, but prospects are good. My prayer during this time has been pretty basic: “Help! Please help!” “The Screwtape Letters” by C.S. Lewis deals with anxiety like mine. Lewis points out that when God asks us to submit patiently to […]

A high school buddy of mine is a Presbyterian minister in West Virginia. In a recent email, he wrote, “Got to preach Sunday on the passage from Genesis that is the foundational rock of my theology … Jacob and his wrestling match with God … (Genesis 32:22-32). It’s always been my contention that the wrestling […]

Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.  (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17) Oh no, I overslept! No time for anything formal, Lord. Thanks for a new day. Help me to serve you today. I especially ask for the gift of gratitude. Thank […]

The book of Job tells about a man who loses everything — his money, his health, even his children. His friends conclude that God is punishing him, but Job insists he hasn’t done anything to deserve such suffering. Then he speaks my all-time favorite words in Scripture (Job 19:25): “I know that my redeemer lives.” […]

Why do I have to go to church? Because God said to. The 10 Commandments include, “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” The Catholic catechism says, “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass.” Jesus worshiped on the Sabbath. Why can’t I just pray […]

One of the loveliest images in the Bible appears in Psalm 85. The psalmist laments Israel’s unfaithfulness, but then he promises that God will forgive and bless his people. “Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss.” Like lions lying down with lambs, justice kissing peace is something I don’t expect to see […]

St. Ignatius Loyola taught his Jesuits a way of encountering God that he called the Spiritual Exercises. One exercise is meditating on a scene from the Gospels. You try to picture the event in detail, using all your senses, as if you were actually present. As you watch Christ, he becomes more real. Your heart […]

Recently, Prince William’s wife Katherine was heading toward a helicopter. Rotor backwash lifted her skirt, and she did not appear to be wearing underpants. Some commentators thought Katherine’s lack of lingerie showed poor judgment. Most, though, criticized the photographer and the publisher of the resulting picture. A few echoed Kathie Lee Gifford’s remark, “If I […]