Catholic. Pastoral. Trusted.
November 2013 A dusty eight-inch knight in armor stands guard on my desk, holding a letter-opener lance in his gauntleted hands. Years ago, he stood watch on my father’s desk. Next to the knight sits a well-worn prayer book, stuffed prayer and holy cards, that belonged to my mother. I...
October 2013 Many years ago, I managed a rental store in Northern Florida. At the end of each day, I would create a “to do list” of the many things I wanted to achieve the following day. Each morning, however, the owner of the company would hand me a list...
October 2013 When I was a kid at Mass, crammed into a pew at Christ the King Church with my parents, my aunt, and my three siblings, I sometimes fidgeted. My mind wandered to lunch or my itchy church clothes or something else I wanted to be doing. Usually, one...
October 2013 "We live in a messy world in which clear-cut answers are hard to come by." I don’t know about you, but I find the word discernment a little intimidating. It’s my responsibility as a Christian to do God’s will, but figuring out what that means in every situation...
When I was a kid at Mass, crammed into a pew at Christ the King Church with my parents, my aunt, and my three siblings, I sometimes fidgeted. My mind wandered to lunch or my itchy church clothes or something else I wanted to be doing. Usually, one of my...
September 2013 How many of your relationships have gone stagnant only to later be unexpectedly revived? Consider high school friends. You haven’t seen them in years when out of the blue something reminds you of them. All sorts of questions arise regarding their well-being and whereabouts, and you feel the...
A photograph of my mother’s brother, Lawrence Lynch, had a special place on the family piano in our home. Dressed in a captain’s uniform, he’s seated at a metal desk. He’s smiling warmly. Uncle Lawrence was a Redemptorist priest who served as an army chaplain with the Fighting 69th Irish...
September 2013 "Most of us have never lived in or experienced a “missionary” Church." Popes Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis have something in common other than the papacy: a focus on the new evangelization. Paul VI popularized the term in his 1975 apostolic exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi. John Paul II explained...
September 2013 "Conversion doesn’t happen according to a schedule." Occasions like New Year’s, Ash Wednesday, and birthdays seem custom-made for adopting new life goals. It’s neat and tidy to say, “As of January 1, I will no longer lose my temper with my children.” “Beginning Ash Wednesday, I will stop...
September 2013 Welcome to our September issue, in which we celebrate the joy of renewal. As discussed by columnist Kate Basi in “Just Live It,” the act of becoming new is constant. This month, for example, students are back in school, breathing in the scent of crayons, old books, or...
July-August 2013 The apostles presented the Gospel truth in different languages through various channels. My nieces and nephews are great kids—intelligent and kind—and I’m proud to be their uncle. Still, I regret their lack of participation in the life of the Church. From what other parishioners tell me, this is...
Christians who envision life to be like a voyage on the open sea seek the guiding light of Mary. In his classic sermon on Mary, St. Bernard of Clairvaux encourages us to take solace in Our Lady, “star of the sea” (Stella Maris), as we navigate the volatile sea that...
July-August 2013 Michael couldn’t wait to tell his second-grade friend what had happened to him. “A policeman pointed a gun at my head this morning!” Michael’s friend was scared, so he told the teacher, who told the principal, who called Michael’s parents. His parents explained that their home had been...
July-August 2013 One ordinary afternoon, I pulled up to a stoplight—an ordinary mom driving an ordinary minivan with three small children chattering unintelligibly in the back. Beside our minivan stood a man in a camouflage jacket holding a cardboard sign that read, HOMELESS—HUNGRY—ANYTHING HELPS. At moments like these, the wisdom...
July-August 2013 Therapists working with patients unable to make a decision because they’re paralyzed by fear or anger often use a technique called reframing to give them a different perspective. Similar to putting a new frame around a familiar picture, therapeutic reframing enables situational details that were once hidden to...
The Yes that Changed the World It always amazes me that the Holy Spirit seeks to “renew the face of the earth” (Psalm 104:30) by coming to the simple and lowly, to the little, to the frightened, to the least. After these encounters their lives begin to flower, with nothing...
May-June 2013 I celebrated my first Communion in 1967. Of the many religious gifts I received, my absolute favorite was a statue of Mary. She wore a beautiful pastel dress and had flowing blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes. Even more exciting, she played “Immaculate Mary.” The statue received a place...
May-June 2013 "We never know when a choice that’s unimportant to us may be the catalyst for someone else’s really big choice." I sat down to write this column thirty-six hours after the horrific massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Months later, this tragic episode has taken its place among myriad...
May-June 2013 A faded sign in the window of a small storefront church near my home declares, “We offer a hand-up, not a hand-out!” A Salvation Army social-service center offers food vouchers; a stone’s throw away, the Catholic Worker offers a free clinic. Churches and church organizations have been in the...
April 2013 "Good morale, economic stability, and the American dream have a hefty price tag." Opening Day is April 1! In Cincinnati, a hot dog at the ballpark is $1, while in Tampa Bay it’s more than $5. A ballpark beer Arizona is $4; at a Phillies game, it’s a...