Nov
13
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini & the Face of Christ
November 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment
From the 1890’s until her death in 1917, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini cared for the poor, the orphaned, the widowed in the United States. She focused mostly on the large immigrant population, having been an immigrant herself to this great land. She became a U.S. citizen and thus was the first American citizen saint upon [...]
Oct
22
What is Expected of Us?
October 22, 2008 | 1 Comment
I often ponder the question - what is expected of us; specifically what is expected of me?
It’s not an easy answer for me as I play many roles. I’m a father, husband, son, godfather, uncle, friend, worker, coach, board member, fraternal brother, etc.; not to mention my responsibilities as an American and a Catholic. I have expectations of [...]
Oct
16
A New Chaplet to the Sacred Heart
October 16, 2008 | 1 Comment
A little while back, I wasn’t sleeping well; waking up in the middle of the night and being unable to get back to sleep because of some things that were and still are bugging me.
One night, I grabbed my rosary beads and started just fingering them, trying to get some peace for what was troubling me. For some [...]
Oct
4
Runners and God
October 4, 2008 | Leave a Comment
When I’m running in my neighborhood, I pass this home with a statue of Mary in the front yard. I say a quick Ave Maria and invite Mary on my run with me. When I’m struggling in a long run, I tend to start praying; exhorting the Holy Spirit to fill me with the motivation [...]
Sep
29
777
September 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment
A missed opportunity!
I’ve been trying to get a fallen-away Catholic I care about back to the Church. I took a look at the Dow Jones from today and saw that it fell 777 points. I made crack to him that if it had fallen 666 points, then we would have seen the churches packed this [...]
Sep
14
Triumph of the Cross
September 14, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Today is the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. It’s a good day to think about whether we have, at times, taken the Cross for granted.
I see crosses all around; sometimes displayed with devotion, other times not. The focus of every Catholic Church is on the Crucifix behind the altar. Catholic churches used to [...]
Aug
27
St. Monica & St. Augustine
August 27, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Today and tomorrow, we remember the lives of St. Monica and her son, St. Augustine.
There are two amazing things about their story. The first is that St. Monica spent her whole married and maternal life praying for the conversion of her pagan husband and her delinquent, wayward son. She kept the faith and hope needed [...]
Aug
6
Transfiguration
August 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment
I have often wondered what it was like to be an apostle following Christ. The healings, miracles and profound daily wisdom must have had an incredible jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring, did I just see that quality to them.
So what did Peter, James & John think of the Transfiguration? They saw Moses and Elijah. They heard our Father. They saw the [...]
Jul
24
Deaf/Blind v. Hearing/Sight
July 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment
I am a history buff; even have a degree in it. One of my interests is comparing previous generations to ours; what were their times like, what choices did they make, where did they go wrong or right?
In reading today’s gospel (Matthew 13), I’m reminded that every generation has those who reflect both sides of [...]
Jul
2
“Jesus, please leave?”
July 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Today’s gospel (Matthew 8) has the townfolk asking Christ to leave their town. What was his offense? He cast the demons out of two men, redirected them into a herd of pigs, and then the pigs ran into the sea.
The people of the town were afraid at what they witnessed. They couldn’t [...]
