“We must ask ourselves a question. Which attitude do I represent? Am I self-satisfied in how I live? Or am I honest and self-aware about my weakness and sins and committed to my humble efforts to live in faith and strive for holiness?” The Mass readings for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) are Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18; Psalms 34:2-3, […]
“If we ask, we will receive the grace to remain and grow in fidelity to God. At the Eucharistic celebration, we are invited to receive the Lord and be nourished at His banquet – the strong and weak, the rich and poor, all of us together – so as to go forth into a world in need, carrying the love […]
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25) But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are […]
There is a great old popular jazz standard written by Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons titled All of Me that is one of my favorite tunes. I particularly like the rendition performed by Louis Armstrong and another done later by Willie Nelson. The song is about a fellow who lost his heart to a girl who left him, so he […]
“When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” (G. K. Chesterton) I remember at a very young age the constant urging of my parents to always say “thank you” in response to any kindness or friendly words shared in my direction. For many years, I saw this advice […]
In this video, Randy Hain shares a true story of how saying a blessing over a meal with a business client unlocked a rich faith conversation. How do you live your faith in the public square? Please share this video on Facebook and other social media below: Print this entry
“Human intelligence is surely already capable of finding a response to the question of origins. The existence of God the Creator can be known with certainty through his works, by the light of human reason, even if this knowledge is often obscured and disfigured by error. This is why faith comes to confirm and enlighten reason in the correct understanding […]
“The disciple of Christ consents to ‘live in the truth,’ that is, in the simplicity of a life in conformity with the Lord’s example, abiding in his truth. ‘If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth.” (CCC, 2470) I first interacted with Father Roger Landry […]
“We must face the reality of death to fully understand it, and we must understand it in order to more fully live.” November is the month of the poor souls in purgatory. We can obtain a plenary indulgence for someone in purgatory during the first eight days of November. The indulgence is obtained, under the usual conditions, by anyone who […]
“Do we live with this same hope? Do we have this proper perspective on eternity?” “You accursed fiend, you are depriving us of this present life, but the King of the world will raise us up to live again forever.” The first reading for this Sunday is part of the stunning story of the martyrdom of a mother and her […]
“The question about being a saint really starts with: Do you want to be happy?” Today is a day of great hope. Today is a reminder that heaven is worth all of this. No matter what life has handed you today—good things or bad things, tragedies, suffering, injustice, or great joy—today is a reminder that heaven is worth it all. […]
“This simple gesture expresses the deepest mysteries of our Faith: the Trinity and the Paschal Mystery.” As a cradle Catholic, there are many things I never questioned about the Catholic Faith or thought twice about doing as a Catholic. Things like May Crownings and Stations of the Cross were just part of the culture when I was growing up. Our […]
Dr. Scott Hahn reflects on the Mass readings for the Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Readings: Malachi 3:19–20 Psalm 98:5–9 2 Thessalonians 3:7–12 Luke 21:5–19 It is the age between our Lord’s first coming and His last. We live in the new world begun by His life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension, by the sending of His Spirit upon […]
The Apocalypse — What does the Bible really teach about the End of the World, Armageddon, the second coming of Jesus Christ and the final battle against the Antichrist? The gospels and the book of Revelation raise many apocalyptic questions for Christians. The Mass readings for the Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) are Malachi 3:19-20; Psalms 98:5-6, 7-8, […]
Will there be marriage in heaven? Jesus’ answer to the Sadducees about the widow married to seven deceased husbands needs to be understood in light of some important truths about the resurrection and the afterlife. The Mass readings for the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) are Second Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14; Psalms 17:1, 5-6, 8, 15; Second Thessalonians 2:16–3:5; […]
Dr. Scott Hahn reflects on the Mass readings for the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Readings: Wisdom 11:22–12:2 Psalm 145:1–2, 8–11, 13–14 2 Thessalonians 1:11–2:2 Luke 19:1–10 Our Lord is a lover of souls, the Liturgy shows us today. As we sing in today’s Psalm, He is slow to anger and compassionate toward all that He has made. […]
This week’s poem in the Catholic Poetry Room is by Sr. Mary Grace Melcher, OCD. Enkindled When I am the rubbish and You are the flameI […]
On October 17, the Pew Research Center released the results of a survey that showed that 65 percent of American adults now say that they’re Christians, down 12 percentage points in just the last ten years. Those describing themselves as atheists, agnostics and “nothing in particular” are now at 26 percent of the population, up from 17 percent in 2009. […]
Last weekend, my husband and I schlepped the kids to the park and as we unloaded the kids, the dog, the bikes, and every other bit of unnecessary gear from our vehicle, a passenger van pulled up next to us. The doors opened and out poured a half dozen kids looking to expend energy on the playground. The driver of […]
This week’s poem in the Catholic Poetry Room is by Fr. Bonaventure Sauer, OCD. What the Angels Sang And then he will send out the angels […]
“You may dazzle the mind with a thousand brilliant discoveries of natural science; you may open new worlds of knowledge which were never dreamed of before; yet, if you have not developed in the soul of the pupil strong habits of virtue which will sustain her in the struggle of life, you have not educated her, but only put in […]
“To believe in Jesus is to accept what he says, even when it runs contrary to what others are saying. It means rejecting the lure of sin, however attractive it may be, in order to set out on the difficult path of the Gospel virtues.” (Pope St. John Paul II; WYD Toronto Welcoming Ceremony; July 25, 2002) The Optional Memorial […]
Your Daily Quote from the Holy Bible “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. He destined us in love to be his sons […]
“Throughout history there have been supernatural apparitions and signs which go to the heart of human events and which, to the surprise of believers and non-believers alike, play their part in the unfolding of history. These manifestations can never contradict the content of faith, and must therefore have their focus in the core of Christ’s proclamation: the Father’s love which […]