The joy of being a steward for the Lord
In today’s world, we are busy. Somehow, we have misplaced the spirituality of stewardship. Can you picture Mary today? After she heard the angel’s proclamation, she’d think about all she had to do.
OPINION
The purpose of intelligence & wisdom
So, what should we say regarding those two words — intelligence and wisdom — that we use so often in common conversation? Intelligence, obviously, is that human ability to understand something, to separate it from or compare it to something similar. It is the brainpower we are born with that guides us safely throughout our lives and helps us find our place in the world community.
Restoring hope for the homeless of Anchorage
Restoring hope — this is our pledge at Catholic Social Services this winter and every year. As we look around our community now, we see a great need for hope and for a sense of home for so many. It is important to be connected with family and loved ones, to feel supported and able to make safe and healthy choices for yourself and for those you care about.
‘Let me work’: Social Security Disability Insurance needs rethinking
Social Security Disability Insurance is generally a permanent condition in that once in the program, only about 28 percent ever again engages in paid work. The concern involves those recipients seeking at some level to return to work and enjoy the simple human dignity of contributing towards their own needs.
Suffering offered to God is not meaningless
Redemptive suffering happens when human suffering is offered up in union with the Passion of Jesus. At that point it can remit the just punishment for one’s sins or for the sins of another.
Overcoming the storm of domestic violence
Another image I have this time of year, especially when we hear of so many communities devastated by storms, is how people come together when a shared crisis occurs. Individuals and communities all over the country and the world have offered assistance and prayers to those suffering from destruction and loss. As Catholics we understand the need to offer relief to those in vulnerable situations. We try to give them hope that recovery is possible.
Meeting Anchorage’s homeless ‘where they are’
Men and women experiencing homelessness at Brother Francis Shelter in Anchorage are met with services to meet their unique needs and help them reach stability. Each person who walks through our doors leads a different life with different needs in finding self-sufficiency.
On living ‘lean and sinewy’
The other evening we went to dinner with our neighbors, followed by coffee and dessert at our house. My neighbor was in a nostalgic mood and reminisced about her grandmother, a Nebraska farm woman who led the rough subsistence lifestyle common in those day
‘Marriage doesn’t have to hurt’
Greetings to all of the messed up and constantly arguing couples out there. You know who you are. We’re not talking to you guys who are constantly posting Instagram photos of your perfect marriage — of all the flowers he gets you every Friday and those declarations of love you share on your timelines, and the cute wacky photos you like to take jumping in the air holding hands — yes, you’re adorable but you can’t sit with us.
Please don’t be shy in promoting our safe environment policies
That comment reveals just how difficult it is to change a culture, even if policy improves people’s lives, because a new policy can challenge an old way of thinking about something that has been part of the culture for years.