It shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since nations began until that time (Dan. 12:1). Growing up on the fringes of an apocalyptic Christian sect best known for its failed predictions about the end of the world can leave you jaded. Near the close of 1999, for example, when everyone was prepping for Y2K, I was more interested in finding the perfect Y2K joke present for the office Christmas party. On New Year’s Eve, my father and I were... Read more
It’s Monday again. I have been hearing from many of you that you are weary with <waves hands around aimlessly> all of this. So, I thought today you would enjoy a completely ridiculous, yet true story: Late last week, two grubby looking guys in a truck were driving around and around my daughter’s decidely residential neighborhood. Turns out, they were farm hands looking for their bull (let’s call him Phil, shall we) who had got out of the paddock... Read more
The first reading this Sunday is the story of the woman who shared her last bit of bread with the prophet Elijah. In this passage, Elijah asks a woman for a drink of water and a morsel of bread. There is a famine in the land, and the woman replies that she only has enough flour and oil for one more loaf of bread. After she and her son eat that last loaf, she tells Elijah, they will die. Elijah... Read more
Jesus, because he remains forever, has a priesthood that does not pass away. Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them. (Heb. 7:24–25). Catholic Twitter lit up recently when penitents started discussing their experiences in the confessional. It started when Zuri Davis tweeted on October 17 about confessing a sexual sin. The priest asked her if she was “a toy” and asked whether she’d been raped,... Read more
Today, All Saints Day, is a feast that I have never been particularly good at, partly because I was rather poorly taught about saints. I just did not get them. I mean, of course I am interested in those folks performing (or at least experiencing) miracles, and I am in as much need of good role models as anyone. The few saints I recall being taught about, though, well, they left much to be desired. St. Francis of Assisi had... Read more
“Go your way; your faith has saved you.” ~Mk 10:52 About a month ago I signed up to write this Dark Devotional. I oversee them, and there was a blank spot in the schedule. The gospel is about Jesus curing a blind man. That should be easy-peasy, I thought. But as the weeks went on, I started thinking more about my deceased Catholic parents (thanks, therapy), and about what it is I truly believe. I left the Church during Holy... Read more
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” (Mark 10:35) Before I became an apologist, I assumed that people with questions about Catholic doctrine or morals asked their questions with nothing more than a desire to understand Church teaching and gratitude that a service existed they could rely upon to offer them better answers than a Google search. Sure, they could... Read more
Considered one of the top 50 country fairs in the United States, Woonsocket, Rhode Island’s Autumnfest is a community-wide tradition that we look forward to every year. It culminates with a 10- division parade. For their entire lives my daughter and two sons have been attending or participating in this parade. When they were little, they sat on the sidewalk, hoping for candy to be tossed their way. One year, they got to ride in a float and be the... Read more
No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account (Heb. 4:13). “Clothing is meant to conceal a woman’s figure, not to reveal it.” “Your choice of clothing at Mass demonstrates your respect for our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.” “Would you wear that if Jesus was right here in this room?” I spent two decades of my life in the conservative Catholic bubble, where... Read more
I sit and wait Does an angel contemplate my fate? And do they know The places where we go When we’re grey and old… Man, I really wanted to write about angels this week. I’ve been in love with them since I was a child, when I used to write them letters about everything, and I still cry when Proginoskes, ‘a singular cherubim’…well, read A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L’Engle. I gleefully call 29 September (St... Read more
Sick Pilgrim
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