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Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
Today is the feast of my local parish’s patron saint, St. John the Baptist. It being a weekday we had a morning Mass, which I normally attend, and a special evening Mass due to this solemn occasion. I was able to attend both. Today also marks the first novena I have ever completed, the novena of St. John the Baptist. A novena is a prayer over a span of nine consecutive days. It is usually timed so that it ends on a special feast day. It is a traditional Catholic prayer and I may have done one when I was a child in grade school, but I do not remember doing one. Focusing, meditating, praying, and pondering over the life of St. John the Baptist over these last nine days has given me pause to rethink about my own life. When am I called to be a “voice in the wilderness?” Am I proclaiming “Behold the Lamb of God” for all those who need to hear it in my life? I think of John leaping for joy in his mother’s womb when Mary pregnant with Jesus arrives for the Visitation. Do I leap for joy? May we all be filled…
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The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Today was the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. This is a very important day for Catholics as it represents one of our core beliefs, the real presence of Christ in the body and blood at Communion. Today at Mass I happened to be both a greeter and an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist. Since our patron saint is St. John the Baptist and his feast day is tomorrow, we also had fellowship after Mass. This consisted of beverages, donuts, and cookies. A nice time to meet and talk with those you know and any new faces that you might not know. I wish more people took advantage of it, but unfortunately, many left right after Mass. Perhaps they had other pressing things to attend to. I am not trying to judge; it is just that I feel it was a missed opportunity. I was born and raised a Catholic, but I drifted away over the years and it was not till 5-6 years ago that I earnestly “came home.” It really did feel like home. It is one of the tales where you go off and search every where else only to find that what…
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The Everlasting Man
Title: The Everlasting Man Author: G. K. Chesterton Published: Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1974 (Originally 1925) There are two parts of this book, “On the Creature Called Man,” which points out how special mankind is in relation to all other creatures, and the second part, “On the Man Called Christ,” which points out how special Christianity is to all other religions and myths. Now I believe Chesterton did not write this with the aim of instructing those that are already enlightened and members of the Christian way. But rather, he had in mind those lost souls who were bored, confused, or perhaps even intolerant of Christianity. He understood that they may be too close to the issue and their senses had become deadened and that they no longer were able to feel wonderment at what is truly wonderful. It is also written to the crowd that may have been caught up in Darwinism or those that just couldn’t see mankind as special anymore. So, he provided a path by starting outside and looking in. If one is having trouble understanding something it is usually best to try a different angle or paradigm. On reading this I thought I would have…
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Clump of Cells?
My brother James called me this morning to vent some frustration he felt on a conversation he had on social media with a lady who is pro-choice. He complained of her calling the fetus just a “clump of cells.” The woman claimed she had an abortion in the past and was proud of this fact. My brother argued back that aren’t we all a “clump of cells?” One would think that arguing that the fetus is just a clump of cells is really a very poor argument. I do admire my brother for standing up and voicing his opinion and attempting to engage with others. Unfortunately, the argument degenerated into name calling and my brother was frustrated as he would really like a real debate or dialogue as to why this woman thought it was okay to have an abortion. Perhaps she did answer his question in a way. The answer is a devaluing of human life. In an age where we claim that we are sensitive to the sacredness of every individual and their unique value, we seem to practice just the opposite. A civilized society honors the individual, especially its weakest members. Let’s face it, none of us…
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Rerum Novarum
The encyclical defends the right to personal property, family, marriage, inheritance, and private societies within a state.
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Book Review: TBS Missionary Discipleship
Title: Threshold Bible Study: Missionary Discipleship Author: Stephen J. Binz Published: New London, Connecticut: Twenty-Third Publications, 2017. 130-pages. My Perspective My first introduction to the Threshold Bible Study series was at my parish when I joined a Sunday Bible study group. The books were designed to be used as a small group or for individual study. They are organized and presented so that a specific topic can be covered in six sessions (at least that has been my experience thus far). Each session has a number of quick sections followed by questions. The sections typically start with a Bible quotation, followed by commentary, then questions, and then a prayer. It is not meant to be read in one sitting, although one could. I have enjoyed going through several years of these small group sessions. There are many times we have drifted “off track,” but I believe these for the most part were guided by the Holy Spirit to allow the group to respond to issues that appeared to be outside the topic, but in reality they helped us gain a better understanding of our relationship with God. This particular book is about missionary discipleship. All Christians that have been baptized…
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Book Review: The Case for Jesus by Brant J. Pitre
Title: The Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ Author: Brant J. Pitre Published: New York: Image, 2016. Pages-242. About the Author[1] Dr. Brant J. Pitre is a native of Houma, Louisiana and is currently the Chair of the Department of Sacred Scripture at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, Louisiana. He earned his Ph.D. in Theology from the University of Notre Dame in 2004, where he majored in Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity with a minor in Systematic Theology. His dissertation was “The Historical Jesus, the Great Tribulation, and the End of the Exile: Restoration Eschatology and the Origin of the Atonement.” He currently lives in Gray, Louisiana, with his wife Elizabeth, and their five children. My Perspective “Did Jesus of Nazareth claim to be God?”[2] That is the main question of this book. But as I started to read it appeared more about the authorship of the Gospels. This makes it appear as if Pitre was going off on a tangent, he is not, so stay with it. It is vital to his argument. If we have been led to believe that the Gospels are anonymous then the question on the veracity of their message…
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Book Review: The Reluctant Disciple: Daring to Believe
Title: The Reluctant Disciple: Daring to Believe Author: David Wells, the Director of adult faith formation in the Diocese of Plymouth. Married with three kids. Guest-lectures at three universities.[1] Published: Toronto, Ontario: Novalis, 2015. Pages-181. At my church, for the last couple of years, I have attended a book/Bible study facilitated by our parish priest in between the 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. Mass. We have read and discussed several books from C.S. Lewis and many that were strictly Bible study. We just finished with The Reluctant Disciple. I will be honest, when it was first mentioned I had my doubts. I guess I can tend to be cynical. I was all for Augustine’s Confessions, but Father was probably correct in steering us away from that. Now that we have finished the book, I can truly say it was a good fit for our group. Wells presents thirty chapters that are each titled with a catchy phrase such as, “What the turkey taught us,” Stupid Me,” and “Are you keeping busy?” The chapters start with a few lines of scripture, then, an anecdotal story from Well’s personal life, followed by a part he calls “Making connections, which is really just seeking…
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Book Review: The Truth of Catholicism: Ten Controversies Explored
Title: The Truth of Catholicism: Ten Controversies Explored Author: George Weigel Published: New York: Harper Collins, 2001; Hardcover 196-pages. This book is about reaching out and attempting to start a discussion about Catholicism for those that want to learn more about their own journey or those just curious to know what we believe. There are a lot of good topics in here to discuss with family and friends over a meal or instead of turning on the television. John Paul II was pope when this book was written. Some of the views you can tell were influenced from this time in history. Parts seem almost prophetic about what is to come. The questions are very important, it has been said that a good question is worth more than a good answer. A good question makes us think and search inside ourselves for an answer, it makes us know more about who we are and we grow. One of the strongest messages that come through is the sanctity of truth. As Catholics, we believe that truth is not dependent on how many people believe something to be true, it just is. If all the world denied God, he is still God. …
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Book Review: Liturgy 101: Sacraments and Sacramentals
Title: Liturgy 101: Sacraments and Sacramentals Author: Daniel G. Van Slyke Published: Liguori Publications; Liguori, Missouri; 2010; Paperback 143-pages. The title explains this book quite well, it is an entry level look at liturgy in relation to the sacraments and sacramentals. With that being said, it is not a dry, point by point, presentation of the facts, instead, Van Slyke presents the information in a language and style that is modern and easily understood. His true desire is for the reader to learn and develop a love and understanding of the special gift the sacraments entail. Basic terminology, such as, liturgy, sacrament, rite, Rite, rights, ordinary and extraordinary, that we hear so often, and yet perhaps do not fully understand their meaning, he explains with a look into ancient languages, history, cultural influences, and biblical references. A vital part of the didactic process is provided at the end of each chapter: a number of thought provoking questions, a list of abbreviations and sources used, and a few suggestions of additional reading. Modern complaints about the sacraments are presented and defended. The importance of the seven sacraments as a gift from God and that they are the “Pillars of the Church”…
