Category: Articles

What Sickness Can Teach Us About the Effects of Sin Articles

What Sickness Can Teach Us About the Effects of Sin

This past week I've been out of commission, first because my son fell ill, then because he "shared" his sickness with us. I can't say it's been a fun time, but I've learned a lot, not just about how to care for a sick baby, but about the effects of sin.
7 Lessons for Leading People to Life Change Articles

7 Lessons for Leading People to Life Change

As Christians we have an intense desire and passion for changing the world. And that happens most commonly on an individual basis, through our personal interactions with others. Call it evangelization or leading people to Jesus, the point is we are seeking to build up the kingdom of God, one soul at a time. We've all had failures and successes in this ball-game of evangelization, and today I'd like to share with you seven lessons I've learned in leading people to life change.
How to Stop the Spread of “Dumbed Down” Catholicism Articles

How to Stop the Spread of “Dumbed Down” Catholicism

One of the first things I learned as a Catholic, and actually one of the things that attracted me to the Church in the first place, was that Catholicism is what Fr. Robert Barron calls a "smart tradition". Some of the greatest minds our world has known have pondered the truths of our faith and left us an amazing wealth of wisdom that we call the deposit of faith. Unfortunately, many of us who call ourselves Catholics live our lives completely oblivious to this fact. A great many of us never "grow up" in our faith and continue our entire lives with only that which we learned as children.
New Year, Old Mission: Bringing the Gospel to Life Articles

New Year, Old Mission: Bringing the Gospel to Life

Five years ago, after I entered the Church, the family of God, through the saving waters of baptism, I attended a retreat through which God changed me forever. On this retreat I experienced something incredible, life-changing, revolutionary, new—well to me at least. I encountered Jesus. I experienced the Gospel.
What It Means for You to Be a “Missionary Disciple” Articles

What It Means for You to Be a “Missionary Disciple”

Although Pope Francis has come up with the term "missionary disciples" in his latest exhortation, it isn't necessarily a new idea although it is important that we be reminded of it. For we are called not only to follow Jesus, but also to change the world, to proclaim the good news, to bring about the kingdom. But what exactly does that all mean?
Why We Walk By Faith, Not By Sight Articles

Why We Walk By Faith, Not By Sight

In our everyday human experience we rely a great deal on our five senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. However, when we become children of God, granted the gift of faith, we are challenged to live not just in the physical sense, but also in the spiritual. We are called, as St. Paul so eloquently put, to "walk by faith and not by sight". Well let me tell you, it's much easier than it sounds.
Making a New Year’s Resolution to Kick Off the New Liturgical Year Articles

Making a New Year’s Resolution to Kick Off the New Liturgical Year

Every time a new year begins we make resolutions that we know we can't keep. Whether it's to lose weight, save money, or spend more time with the kids, we know it's important, but for some reason we fail. We set ourselves up for failure. Well as the liturgical year comes to an end this week, let us make resolutions that will help us to deepen our relationship with God, and let's keep them.
You Are Meant to Be a Martyr Articles

You Are Meant to Be a Martyr

Christianity is not a spectator sport. It isn't an ideology. It is a lifestyle. It is meant to be lived out, not just talked about. The Early Christians had no trouble understanding this and they were bold witnesses to Jesus Christ, even when it wasn't popular or convenient. They were willing to give their lives for their faith, something I doubt many of today's American Christians would be willing to do. Which is unfortunate, since we are all meant to be martyrs.
Catechesis vs. Evangelization Articles

Catechesis vs. Evangelization

In my few short years as a Catholic it has become blatantly evident to me that we are highly unsuccessful at getting our message across. There a many different reasons for this, but today I am going to consider one which I think seems to be the main culprit: the battle between catechesis and evangelization.
All Saints Day: Honoring God’s Handiwork Articles

All Saints Day: Honoring God’s Handiwork

When you walk into an art gallery and browse the different works of art hanging on the walls, you admire each one of them. You connect with some pieces more than others. You like some, you love others. Some speak to you, some don't. Each piece is different, yet you can see they all belong together. After you've looked around for a while and you make your way to the door you find yourself face-to-face with the artist. What do you say? Do you tell him to move out of the way because you are admiring his work? No, you tell him that his work is beautiful, that it moves you, etc. The artist gets the praise, the artwork is only an expression of his talent.