Author Archive: Brad Bursa
Brad is the Director of Youth Ministry for the growing youth program at St. Gertrude Parish in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is actively involved in planning, leading worship for, and speaking at retreats and youth events in the Cincinnati area. He received his BA in English and Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville. Following his graduation in 2008, he spent a year teaching English in Denver at Bishop Machebeuf High School.
Brad and his wife Katie spend much of the day chasing around their 18 month old daughter. They are expecting their second child in October. In his spare time, Brad enjoys reading classic pieces of literature, writing, playing sports, listening to classic rock, and thinking about how funny he thinks he is.
The Pro-Life Movement and the Culture of Death: Are we fighting fire with fire?
In the fight against the culture of death, are our words enough? Is a political movement of people enough? Is protest enough? These are questions that need to be asked, especially in the wake of this year’s March for Life in Washington, DC. This article will hopefully articulate my response to these questions based upon [...]
You Don’t Own It
“Own Your Faith.” You’ve probably heard that before. Or, if you’re like me, you’ve given out the command. Now, I’m seriously questioning it. The problem with using the verb “own” is that it means having it all, possessing it, and if possessing it, then exercising dominion over it. We know this from daily life. I [...]
The Certainty We Await
There I sat, waiting. I was in a strange place (by this, I mean a restaurant I don’t normally go to), waiting for a teen I did not know very well. He was only a few minutes late, but those few minutes taught me a great deal about waiting and about certainty. As the clock [...]
Catholic Cop-outs
Catholic clichés are vapid. They exhibit a lackadaisical attitude toward the faith, and consequently, the way it is taught. Anna Mitchell, a good friend of mine and Catholic radio personality, recently took up the topic of limiting preaching to action in her December article, “Use Words When Necessary”. I would like to toss in another [...]
HHS Mandate, Three Resulting Temptations, and the Virtue of Hope
Cowardice, Hatred, Indifference When an intruder encroaches, one may crawl deeper into the trenches, afraid to face that which terrifies. Often fear takes a more subtle, latent form. In the case of the President Obama administration’s mandate, the temptation facing the Church is one of deep, inner-fear. Fear can be positive in that it points [...]
The Freedom of Astonishment
“And they were astonished…” (Mark 1:22) To be “astonished,” a word coming from the Greek ekplēssō, means to be struck with amazement. When are we struck with amazement? A good example of astonishment would be the birth of a child. Here, the very being of the child is displayed… this new, unrepeatable, completely unique human [...]
The Clown and the Fire: Just Blowing Smoke?
I am notorious for ambitious reading. Thus, I have about seven books going right now. One of the books is Introduction to Christianity by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, before he became Pope Benedict XVI. Not surprisingly, I haven’t moved beyond the Introduction. But that is okay, because it contains much for the mind to chomp on. [...]
Ensnared
Tutored a kid once. Haven’t since. He was probably a third grader at the time, with the telltale third grade characteristics: short and scrawny and freckled. What you read hereafter is the story of how he duped me, and drove me to despise tutoring. College, for me, had just ended, when my mom arranged for [...]
What We’re Looking For
High school graduation marks the end of the nesting period and the beginning of quasi-adulthood. Parents are a weird mix of merry and melancholic, while many graduates are saturated by relief, excitement and panic. The nostalgia of graduation season leads me to an observation that applies to rising college freshmen, and to all of us, [...]
Turn Up the Heat
“So because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16). Thank you, St. John, for recording this fantastic line. Lukewarm. Complacent. Conceited. Self-satisfied. Unconcerned. We could go on, but there is no need. Complacency is one of the greatest dangers to the spiritual life. I [...]
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