How Do I Discern if a Call to do Something Big is Really From God?
Question: How do I discern if a call to do something big is really from God? Answer: Each day we face plenty of decisions about following God: whether or not…
Category: Weekly Reflections
Drop Your Nets and Be Free
There are times I wish I had no obligations. It would be great to take my wife’s hand, hop in the car, and drive into the sunset. Where we were…
Gospel Meditation
It begins! Jesus is doing something new. “He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea.” Jesus leaves his family, his profession of carpentry, and everything he…
Play That One Again
How many times have you sung the church song, “Here I Am, Lord”? If you grew up Catholic and are around my age (still 50!), the answer is more than…
What Does Testifying to Faith Look Like in Everyday Life?
Question: The Bible talks a lot about “testifying” or “giving testimony” to our faith. That makes me think of a courtroom. What does testifying to faith look like in everyday…
Gospel Meditation
On the cusp of fame, power, or influence, would you turn it down? Today’s Gospel again features John the Baptist. Controversial but popular, John has gathered quite a group of…
Why Do We Do That?
QUESTION: Why do Catholics baptize infants, while some other Christian denominations wait until adulthood? Answer: To understand when we baptize, it’s important to know what baptism is. Baptism removes original…
Lessons from Baptizing a Frog
I used to lead an RCIA session on baptism, where I would bring in my Kermit the Frog toy from when I was a child and pretend to baptize it.…
Gospel Meditation
The Catechism of the Catholic Church gives four reasons for the Incarnation, why God became man in Jesus Christ. The third reason is “to be our model of holiness.” All…
Penances and Prayers
God’s glory, now, is kindled gentler than candlelight under the rafters of a barn: Eternal Peace is sleeping in the hay, And Wisdom’s born in secret in a straw-roofed stable.*…