In this year where the church has been marred and disgraced with renewed focus on the sinful and criminal behavior of our shepherds, of scandalous failures in leadership, may we hear afresh and anew the words of Jesus about genuine discipleship, take them to heart, and keep them with renewed vigor and hope:
I am in exile from my beloved Russia. I know that God’s plans for me are for my good, so what must I do to embrace this time? I must love and suffer.
Twitter, and to a lesser extent Facebook, often make me feel as if I have a ping-pong game going on in my head.
If you choose to contribute by volunteering, you will see the work of our staff using the trauma-informed care model.
But there is a deeper boredom that is really a disease of our time. As 20th century author Reinhardt Kuhn observed, boredom “is not one theme among others; it is the dominant theme … a modern plague.”
I fear that too many parents believe they cannot afford a Catholic education for their children, and thus never even take the opportunity to walk into one of our Catholic schools to discuss what is possible for their children.
Relativism is the philosophy that says you have your truth and I have mine. This is the lie of our age — a philosophy that claims there is no objective truth outside ourselves.
Each new year, we’re challenged to follow a path to bright and fulfilling days. I, for one, will use the staff at Catholic Social Services as my guide in 2019.
Over the past 25 years, one of the most common prayer request I hear deals with a son or daughter who has left the church, or a husband or parent who no longer attends Mass, or a grandchild who has drifted from the faith.
But I do know the mind of a parent. Christmas brings out the sentimental, extravagant, overwhelming desire to give that which is most wanted, something that will delight a little heart.