Discipleship
How Much Do I Love God?
Father Carmen Mele Comments Off on How Much Do I Love God?
A generation ago, Jesuit theologian Edward Vacek shook many readers of America magazine. He wrote in an article dated March 9, 1996, that many Christians no longer know what it is to love God. He even said that a researcher could not find priests who would talk about God. These phenomena are troublesome for a Read More
Better Call Paul
Edward P. Hahnenberg Comments Off on Better Call Paul
No collaborator is more important to today’s pastor than the lay ecclesial minister. It’s difficult to imagine even a small parish without one or two lay ministers on the staff working alongside the pastor, helping to coordinate everything from baptismal preparation to Communion for the homebound. Larger parishes employ ministerial teams composed of lay pastoral Read More
Christian Discipleship and the Brown Scapular
Father Jeffrey Kirby Comments Off on Christian Discipleship and the Brown Scapular
We live in a secular age. As believers, we are bombarded with messages and influences that tell us that God is not real, or — if real — that he is of no consequence to life. As such, we need as much help as we can get to persevere in faith and thrive in the Read More
Why Young People Are Leaving the Church
Everett Fritz Comments Off on Why Young People Are Leaving the Church
I grew up in the suburbs south of Chicago, and, as a result, I am a fanatical Cubs fan. If you are even a mild baseball fan, you know that the Chicago Cubs won the World Series in 2016, and it was a big deal because it was their first championship in 108 years. It Read More
The Fullness of Love
Patricia Sharbaugh Comments Off on The Fullness of Love
Do you ever wish you could escape from love? Not all love, but the love that hurts. We love people who disappoint, betray and abandon us. We love people who make poor choices and put themselves in danger. We love people who turn away from us and turn away from God. We love people who Read More
To Effectively Communicate the Gospel, Look Inward
Susan Muto Comments Off on To Effectively Communicate the Gospel, Look Inward
Day after day, priests sow the seeds of God’s word in the rich soil of their earthly consent to draw souls to God, motivated not by self-gain but by charity and compassion. They see as infinitely precious every word God asks them to plant in the fields of evangelization, which they tend with gentle fidelity Read More
Preparing for Christmas as Missionary Disciples
Father Anthony J. Gittins Comments Off on Preparing for Christmas as Missionary Disciples
Liturgically, New Year’s Day is the first day of the season of Advent. Will it bring surprises, wonder, joy? Or have we been through this so often that we feel Advent is like a movie or play that we’ve seen holds no surprises anymore? We know the plot and we know the outcome, and unlike Read More
$100 for God
Father Richard Gribble Comments Off on $100 for God
One Sunday as I stood in the sacristy speaking to the lector and music minister before Mass, a man who appeared to be homeless stepped through the sacristy door and in a very calm, dignified and even prayerful way, said to me, “Father, can you give this to Father Bill or Father Jim for the Read More