You know those moments at work which you wish you could take back? Where you make a mistake in front of a whole group of your coworkers and your cheeks flush and you shrink a size or two? I had a few of those moments this week. And in God’s fantastic sense of humor, on… [Read More]
How does modern man best hear the call the conversion?
In this liturgical season of conversion, we are faced with the question: Just exactly how does “conversion” happen? How is change possible in our daily lives, and in a lasting way? I’d like to go deeper into thoughts from my last post, as a kind of part II (see: Living Lent Like a Little One)…. [Read More]
¿Cómo quieres vivir esta Cuaresma?
Comienza la cuaresma, un año más, una llamada más, una oportunidad para hacer penitencia y renovarnos interiormente para preparar la Pascua del Señor. A partir de esta semana, la liturgia de la Iglesia nos estará invitando a través de las lecturas a entrar en una profunda reflexión sobre nuestra vida, sobre los motivos que nos… [Read More]
Providence’s Hidden Grace
God’s providence has granted me grace upon grace. And sometimes graces come in very small packages. Above you’ll see a picture of each of my two god-children Elle (top) and Benedict (bottom). I promised to help their parents raise them in the faith. I traced a cross on their foreheads marking them for Christ. I… [Read More]
Forming Teens Into Evangelical Catholics
Youth ministry is a unique challenge for the Church, and by challenge, I mean opportunity. A decade ago, I started to dabble in youth ministry, but I have spent the last 7 years working with great people in the Church to develop a program that can form young Evangelical Catholics. An understandably lofty goal, but one… [Read More]
My Testimony of Reversion
The world today has forgotten so much about the mercy and passion and power of our true Lord and savior Jesus Christ. I grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland in a small town called Damascus. I was 6 years old when I was first in Damascus, and our governor at the time, Governor Martin O’Malley,… [Read More]
Don’t Forget About Tomorrow
Something really important is happening tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that. A sneaky question in a priest’s homily a couple of weeks ago ties in perfectly with today’s Gospel reading. It was a first communion Mass for an enthusiastic group of second graders on a Saturday morning. During a wonderfully interactive… [Read More]
Spit, Mercy and the Human Spiritual Life
What is it about Jesus spitting, putting his fingers in the deaf man’s ear? It hits on something within us, pulls on something. Some inner notion of cleanliness, of boundaries, of unworthiness. It’s uncomfortable. Unusual. Certainly not how we would expect the God-man to act. Now – to bow at his feet, to stand at… [Read More]
Mathing Up the Faith (Review: “Arriving at Amen”)
I love a good conversion story. I’ve made a few attempts at writing my own, but I have never found quite the right angle of approach. It’s not the struggle to find something other than God in which to place my happiness, like it was for Jen Fulwiler. It’s not the attempt to make up… [Read More]
The First Steps on the Road (Review: “Loved As I Am”)
To love is to do what is best for the beloved. Some people are easy to love, especially when we have great affection for them besides. Some people are rather more difficult to love. Consider God’s love for us. We rejected him from the very start of humanity, and we reject him individually now, in… [Read More]
Clothes On, Heart Full (Review: The Thrill of the Chaste, Catholic Edition)
In my happy journey through every book on chastity known to Christian man, I made a stop at The Thrill of the Chaste back in 2012. The book had been out for years; I tend to be a later adopter. My favorite aspects of that edition were Eden’s utterly realistic experience and her comments about… [Read More]
He Waited for Me, So I’ll Wait for Him
I waited and waited and waited, then God finally showed up about three decades later. Actually, I have that backwards. It's the Lord who waited so long for me, and I finally showed up. With all that waiting in mind, Advent is a prudent time to ponder the past and prepare for the future. My… [Read More]
First Comes Love, Then Comes…
This past Saturday Pope Francis presided over a Mass during which several couples celebrated the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony (aka, Marriage). What made these couples “unique” according to social understanding of the Catholic faith is that all of these couples were either living together or who have had annulments. It seemed odd to the media… [Read More]
Late Have I Loved You
Yesterday I found myself bringing St Augustine’s Feast Day to a close by reciting passages from his writings with a small gathering of friends; we raised a glass to the Doctor and Saint, and celebrated this man who was so dearly human. The passage I recited had been had been reverberating in my mind since that… [Read More]
Naming Your Antagonist (Review: “Something Other Than God”)
The world is actually quite small. I’m a military brat, and I’ve lived in multiple U.S. cities and states for non-government reasons, as well, so I know a few things about incredible connections. Being part of the Catholic blogosphere adds an additional dimension to those connections. I followed Jen Fulwiler’s blog, Conversion Diary, for some… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – September 15, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Jerusalem Bible Translation) Liturgy of the Word for September 15, 2013 (NAB Translations) Lectionary: 132 Reflection begins at 4:40 minute mark. Reading 1 EX 32:7-11, 13-14 This first reading features a conversation between Moses and God, showing an angrier side of the Father than we are used to hearing about. The… [Read More]
Your Intro to RCIA (Review: “Waking Up Catholic”)
The journey to Catholicism can be a winding one. Some sharp stones have been pressed in by years of habit, and some gems are waiting just around the next bend. It can be tricky to navigate the path. Sometimes you want a companion on the journey. Sometimes you just want a simple road map. Waking… [Read More]
Roamin’ Home (Review: “Confessions of a Mega-Church Pastor”)
I love conversion stories. As a cradle Catholic who lapsed for a few years, I have my own story of coming to know Christ and his one true Church, but I am always fascinated by the journeys other people have taken to get to Catholicism. Some of my favorites are the stories that came with… [Read More]
Reading Your Way to Rome (Review: “Rome Sweet Home”)
As many Catholics are, I am a sucker for conversion stories. I was baptized Catholic but not really raised that way, so mine is more of a reversion story, but I even enjoy telling that! There’s something about getting the inside scoop on someone’s journey to God and to the Catholic Church that is so… [Read More]
Beauty of Truth Podcast – Ep 15 If Catholicism if True, is everyone else wrong?
Ep 15 – If Catholicism if True, is everyone else wrong? Questions If Catholics are right does that make everyone else wrong? Buddha came before Jesus, how can it claim to be more true? If Jesus was the Messiah, why don’t Jews recognize him? Is salvation possible outside the Church? Catechetical Moment CCC… [Read More]
What’s with all the Rituals and Repetitive Prayers?
As a Catholic, you may have heard this before: why does Catholic worship involve so many repetitive rituals? It’s weird that you all say the same thing at the same time! It alienates others who don’t know the words and it looks funny. Or you may have thought this to yourself instead: Why do we say the same thing over and… [Read More]
Overcoming Failure in Evangelization
There is nothing sadder than seeing someone turn away from Christianity, especially from the Catholic Church. It breaks my heart every time. Even more so when they are friends or family. It’s a God given right to choose not to follow Jesus, but that doesn’t mean it’s right. “If there were no God, there would… [Read More]
Comparing Conversions
When the well-known atheist, Leah Libresco, announced her entrance into the Catholic Church’s RCIA program I was blown away, like many others. I have to admit that, after reading her posts, much of what she said went over my head. I’m not up on ‘athiest’ speak. But, I was very excited and encouraged by the prospect… [Read More]
And I Find Myself Smirking at God
Does your child ever do something so witty and surprising that you just shake your head and let a smirk creep across your face? My son cracked out with a clever quip last week and I just burst out laughing. I don’t often burst out into anything. I like that feeling. Over the past few… [Read More]
Really Knowing Both Sides (Review: “Unplanned”)
I pray every time I pass a Planned Parenthood. I have also prayed outside Planned Parenthood clinics that do abortions here in Austin and back home in D.C. I pray for a world where no one will desire abortion. I don’t think making abortion illegal will change hearts, but it might be a start. By… [Read More]
