Columns Archive

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Understanding Our Lenten Call to Conversion and Repentance

ā€œThe kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.ā€ The First Sunday of Lent is upon us, and through the readings and prayers, we dive right […]

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We Yearn to Be with Jesus, the Source of Life and Peace

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time The first reading for this weekend comes from the Book of Leviticus. In sequence, Leviticus is the third book in modern translations of the Bible. […]

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Lent and the Filet-O-Fish Dilemma

Do you ever wish we Catholics could shift culture as effectively as we shift fast food menus during Lent? Thereā€™s a huge billboard on my block that just changed out […]

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Experiencing Our Tangible Faith with Our Lady of Lourdes

Our Catholic faith is a faith of the senses, especially during the celebration of the Eucharist. We taste Our Lord Himself, receiving Him into our mouths at holy Communion; we […]

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Surrogacy and the Selfish Commodification of Children

At the beginning of 2024, Pope Francis offered strong public criticism of surrogate motherhood. His willingness to speak out on this important topic has helped to pull surrogacy out of […]

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This Lent, Let God Move You

ā€œYou are merciful to all, O Lord, and despise nothing that you have made. You overlook peopleā€™s sins, to bring them to repentance, and you spare them, for you are […]

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In Choosing to Follow Christ, We Are Called to Serve Others

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time The Book of Job is the source of this weekendā€™s first reading. This book furnishes few details about the identity of Job. It nonetheless is […]

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The Thin Line Between Joy and Sorrow Amidst Loss

St. Philip Neri is widely known as ā€œthe joyful saint.ā€ Famously, he encouraged joy as the way of Christian perfection, saying, ā€œA joyful heart is more easily made perfect than […]

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How Deep Are Our Political Divisions?

The movie, musical, and now musical movie ā€œMean Girlsā€ is a reminder of one of the more miserable sides of adolescence: in groups and out groups, the cool kids and […]

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Cold Water, Warm Heart: How to Feel Alive

One after another, influencers are taking the plunge. The cold-water plunge. I couldnā€™t help but follow along when Elizabeth Ries, a lovable TV personality from Minneapolis, joined the trend this […]

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While Temptations Arise, Christians Are Called to Reject Sin

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time The Book of Deuteronomy furnishes the first reading for this weekend. Deuteronomy appears in bibles as the fifth book in sequence in the Old Testament. […]

Is Hell Empty? I Think Not, but I Hope Iā€™m Wrong Default Thumbnail
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Is Hell Empty? I Think Not, but I Hope Iā€™m Wrong

Sometimes you hope to be wrong. For example: A good friend from college seminary discerned out of formation and began to pursue a relationship with a young woman. I didnā€™t […]