In the early days of Christianity, what attracted most to this new variation of Judaism was not necessarily its profound and theological concepts or arguments. It was not the loudness of the early Christian voices, nor was it their ability to denigrate and dismiss other’s faith. What attracted most to...
Mother Teresa will be canonized this weekend in Rome, thousands of people are expected to gather in the plaza of the Vatican. In 1995, I was working at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Boston when it was announced that Mother Teresa will be visiting the hospital. The logistics for the hospital...
I’ve been noticing the last two Sundays in the readings from Luke, some of the things that matter most to Jesus seem to matter little for too many Christians today. Last week Jesus told the story about some who will be surprised to find themselves locked out of the Kingdom,...
Come one, come all to St. Elizabeth on Sunday, September 11th from 11:30-3:30. There will be games for kids and adults, a silent auction, live music by Opus Taylor, and wine tasting. Lunch will be served beginning at 11:30 am. — delicious smoked pork, baked beans, salads, and desserts by the Ladies Guild. Everyone is welcome...
As I have mentioned in my article before, how disturbing it is that there is a possibility that God will not recognize us? The parable that Jesus offers leads me to believe that there is the real possibility that God may not recognize me. How could that possibly happen?...
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is having a “Friends of the Poor Walk”. This district wide event is a fundraising, fun event designed to gather us together, collecting pledges as we walk a two mile scenic Des Moines River route. We will have live music, a disc golf contest, door prizes,...
It seems as though Paul, in his letter to the Hebrews is all into the Olympic spirit. “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before...
It is interesting as we watch the 2016 Rio Olympics unfold, particularly as we watch the opening ceremony and all of the well known Olympic symbols, how familiar these symbols are to Catholicism. Doesn’t the Olympic Flame bear a striking similarity to the Easter Candle? Could the doves that are...
We are all stunned by the escalation of violence these past days, both by authorities and non-authorities alike. As shocked as we may be by violent acts, I am wondering if we should really be surprised or at least wonder if our own attitudes and emotions play a part in...
In today’s Gospel 72 of the Lord’s disciples go ahead of Him to the various towns he was to visit. In modern day terms this might be viewed as Jesus sending his advance team. When I worked in television, we often did presidential debates. We would do a dozen of these in an...