Embracing devotion to the brown scapular
August 2, 2021
Sacramentals are powerful signs of God’s grace in our lives. A popular one we all can embrace is the brown scapular.
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A ‘hidden’ Joseph in an early masterpiece
June 16, 2021
“The man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence,” who yet “played an incomparable role in the history of salvation” — these are the words Pope Francis used to describe St. Joseph when he proclaimed a year dedicated to the saint, a patron of the Universal Church.
Human ecology and ‘Laudato Si’ anniversary
May 23, 2021
Five years ago, when Pope Francis released the encyclical “Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home,” people inside and outside the church rushed to read the first environmentally focused letter from a Roman Pontiff. While the letter did give rousing support to the efforts to care for God’s creation, our common home, it also contained something beyond the now-familiar rhetoric of environmental concern.
Lent’s Lessons, Easter Joys
April 8, 2021
A few years ago, my brother convinced me to sign up to run a half-marathon with him. Now, I’m not a runner. In fact, simply running with no ball to chase seemed to me to be cruel and unusual punishment. Nevertheless, I embraced the challenge as an opportunity to get into shape, and I began training multiple times a week.
‘Jesus, I Trust in You!’
April 8, 2021
“Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy.” Our Lord Jesus Christ spoke these words to St. Faustina about the meaning of the two rays in the image of Divine Mercy.
Tips for celebrating Holy Week
March 24, 2021
Growing up, I had mixed feelings when it came to Holy Week. My mom would let us watch TV until Holy Thursday then the TV would be turned off until Easter. I did not understand why I had to give up television when it was a week of vacation. My mom would say you have to sacrifice because Jesus died — clearly this was a concept I did not understand.
How do I get to heaven?
March 11, 2021
The goal of our temporal life on earth is eternal life in heaven after death. For as Jesus said, “What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” (Mk 8:36). What we believe and how we act in this life will determine whether we go to heaven or not. So, the most important thing to know in this life is how to merit eternal life in heaven.
Near-death experiences: evidence of afterlife
February 24, 2021
Many people who have come close to dying report having had a near-death experience (NDE). An NDE is a lucid experience associated with perceived consciousness apart from the body occurring at the time of actual or threatened imminent death. NDEs typically encompass several sensations, including being outside one’s physical body, feelings of peace and joy, and moving in a tunnel toward a loving bright light.
Bearing witness to God’s love
February 12, 2021
“Since God created him man and woman, their mutual love becomes an image of the absolute and unfailing love with which God loves man” (The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1604). This begs the question, “How does God love man?”
Compelling evidence of God’s existence
January 27, 2021
Whether God exists is a fundamental question in life and one we often seek to answer personally and in conversations with those we know and love. Many people find objective evidence of God’s existence in what’s been called “The 3 Cs”: cosmos, consciousness and conscience.
