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Category: Articles
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Why Small Groups Will Save the Catholic Church
When a Catholic thinks of their faith community they think about their parish. This is good—the fact that there is not only a place, but a community of fellow believers with which a person can associate with in their faith walk. Unfortunately, that is the extent of it. Most Catholics are not actually active in their parish community and they don't know many if anyone on a personal basis. The solution to this problem is small groups.
How God’s Blessings are Also Challenges
The first time I heard the phrase "fight for your blessings" I was honestly turned off by the whole idea, after all, wasn't it God's job to bless us? However, as I've come to know God and His ways, I see that it is true. Every one of God's blessings is a challenge.
Why You Should Have Reverence for All People, All the Time
When we think of reverence we think of formal Church settings like prayer services, the Holy Mass, or Eucharistic Adoration. But when we come home from Church, where does the reverence go? It seems we leave it at church, in the pews. It's almost like reverence is a coat that we put on as we walk through the vestibule. If this is your idea of reverence, you've got it all wrong.
Why We Need the Church
I've been blessed with two flat tires in the past two months. Last night was the second time and it happened on the freeway, with no jack, and no spare. Yeah, I know, woe is me. At least this time we were fortunate enough that it happened where it did.
How We Prevent God from Doing His Work
Last night my wife and I struggled to finish getting everything ready for our Family Catechism program which begins next week. It wasn't that the work was difficult, in fact, it was rather simple. The problem was our one-year-old son must've been having a bad day because he seemed to be crying non-stop, which he normally doesn't do. At the time I was frustrated and I let it get to me. However, when we arrived home and I placed my sleeping first-born into his crib, I couldn't help but think that we are just like fussy babies.
Community: Why You Can’t Walk the Christian Journey Solo
It is easy for me to fall into the mistake of trying to do everything on my own. It's a problem I continue to battle with everyday. This applies to my work, my faith, and many other things. But what I have to do is realize that I meant to live in community, to love and be loved—just as God is an intimate union of three distinct persons caught in an eternal exchange of love. The truth is you can't walk the Christian journey alone. We need each other, as much as I'd like to think otherwise.
Finding Courage to Stand Up for the Truth, Even When it Hurts
Yesterday my wife and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary. I love my wife and I love being married. For many in our society marriage has morphed into something altogether different. Basing their opinions and beliefs on emotions, political correctness, and a desire for equality they have sought to redefine marriage which has stood for the union between one man and one woman for longer than any religion or government. I disagree with these attempts to redefine marriage and I am not afraid to publicly admit that I believe in the traditional definition of marriage between one man and one woman.
Getting Out of the Way of God’s Grace
Yesterday I talked about the importance of God's grace in our pursuit of holiness. It got me thinking about the fact that many times we prevent God's grace from flowing in our lives.
Mission Impossible: How to Achieve Holiness
After we've realized that our purpose in life is to glorify God by becoming the people He has created us to be—by becoming saints—we begin an arduous journey in pursuit of holiness. Along the way we will face many struggles as our faith is "tested by fire" (1 Pt 1:7). We know we have to grow in holiness, but it can sometimes seem an insurmountable task, utterly impossible. There is one simple fact that will bring this wall crashing down and open up for you again the path toward personal sanctity.
Why You Shouldn’t Be Ashamed to Pray In Public
There's a great scene in the bollywood film My Name is Kahn where a muslim man with Aspergers Syndrom is eating lunch with another muslim couple. He gets ready to get up and they ask him where he's going. Due to the anti-muslim climate of the post-9/11 world, when he says he is going to pray, they tell him that he "should pray depending on the place and the people around." His response is priceless: