This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad! Did you read what happened in that verse? The author acknowledged God’s work of creation and God’s work in creation. What follows when God is acknowledged? His creation is glad and rejoices! We are glad and we rejoice. The heavens declare… [Read More]
We’re All in This Together (Review: “Bound Together”)
If you’ve been following my reviews for a while, you’ll have noticed that I don’t always review Catholic books. This will be one of those other reviews. As Catholics, we are committed to ecumenism. If other Christians are reflecting on beliefs that we share, we should at least be willing to listen, even if we… [Read More]
The Theology of Sound
A question for your consideration: Why does music hold such power over the human heart? Let that percolate for a minute, then read on. As a Catholic musician, I am particularly enamored with two things: theology and sound. I dive passionately into the depths of the Eschaton just as eagerly as I plunge myself headlong… [Read More]
Confession and Pentecost; Grace and Power
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. -Proverbs 3:5-6 This verse is not like Confession; this verse is Confession. Four things happen. I entrust myself to God through a spiritual father, a… [Read More]
When Your Very Own Ideas Are the Truth (Review: “Orthodoxy”)
I like reading. I’d be crazy to have written a book review column for a year and a half if I didn’t like reading. But, in addition to reading, I like getting to know people. I’m an interesting person to make friends with because I have a knack for focusing very intentionally on developing the… [Read More]
What Love Is
Hey. Wanna try a little experiment? Search the Internet for the definition of “love” and see what you get. I tried this just recently and discovered something rather incredible. Specifically, I wanted to know what our society thinks love is. We as Catholics know that society’s understanding of love is pretty screwed-up, but I wanted… [Read More]
Jesus In the Church?
As viewed from the outside, it’s easy to see the Church as just another big and apparently inflexible institution. Many non-Catholics and even some Catholics no doubt ask the question as to whether the institutional Church is even necessary In his book, The Spirit of Catholicism, Karl Adam reminds us of the purpose and origin… [Read More]
Torn From Our Roots
“No way! The Catholic Church? You gotta be kiddin’ me.” No doubt you’ve heard a variation of that line before. So what in the world would motivate a person outside the Catholic Church to give it the slightest bit of consideration? There is a restlessness that drives people to seek relief through pleasure and distraction, but… [Read More]
Staring at the Walls
Continuing from the previous blog post on the Catholic classic, the Spirit of Catholicism– we continue to look at the introductory Chapter 1. In the introduction to his book,The Spirit of Catholicism, Karl Adam confronts the common misunderstandings of Catholicism that are derived from the remote viewpoint of those who study comparative religion, or look… [Read More]
The Catholic Church vs. the Early Church?
Continuing from the previous blog post on the Catholic classic, the Spirit of Catholicism- we continue to look at the introductory Chapter 1. One of the questions that we are sometimes called to answer is: “WHAT EXACTLY IS CATHOLICISM AND WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER RELIGIONS AND PHILOSOPHIES?” Many people THINK they know the answer to this question. … [Read More]
Clothes On, Eyes Open (Review: “The Thrill of the Chaste”)
As I’ve mentioned before, I am a big fan of the theology of the body (TOB). It has changed the way I view past and future relationships and the way I relate to other people in my life, male and female. Most of what I’ve learned about TOB has been from Christopher West or from… [Read More]
Wading into Spiritual Waters (Review: “No Man Is an Island”)
Sometimes, what your faith life needs is someone to break things down, but not too far down. Adults do not like to be talked down to or made to feel like they don’t know anything, but not everyone is a rocket scientist (and I know several actual rocket scientists). Lent in particular is a great… [Read More]
Not Quite for Beginners, but Worth It (Review: “Theology for Beginners”)
It is amazing how much I do not know. I came back to the Church seven years ago tomorrow (which was Ash Wednesday that year, too). I am a joiner by nature, so when I decided to become a practicing adult Catholic, I went in full-tilt. That led me to my current lifestyle, where I… [Read More]
