Blessings upon Blessings
Recent changes in the Mass have woken us up to the words said. What caught my attention is that twice we proclaim, “Blessed be God forever!” We do what we were created to do: We recognize God’s greatness and praise him with all the angels and saints. Bless is a two-way word. We bless God at Mass because he has blessed (gifted) us with the bread and wine that become Jesus. But bless also means to wish that God would favor someone.
You don’t have to be ordained to impart a blessing. A friend of mine blessed his two daughters before they went to bed. (more…)
Appreciating Being Alive
We just celebrated my mom’s 91st birthday. She bemoans her loss of independence and her pains. “Just throw me in Lake Erie,” she remarks. Yet she is anticipating another birthday party next year. And her family is glad she is still with us. I too am moving closer to the end of my life. This has made me reflect on how precious every day is. Because I live today, I can delight in the beauty of the full moon decorated with wisps of gray clouds this morning. I can enjoy Beethoven’s 5th symphony and the theme from the Titanic movie. (more…)
Jesus Is the Center
Blaise Pascal wrote, “Jesus is the center of everything and the object of everything.” In my research for talks on evangelization, I learned that most people who trade the Catholic Church for a Pentecostal or Evangelical church claim that it is because they are looking for a personal relationship with Jesus. This is mind-boggling because Catholics have unique opportunities for encountering the living, risen Jesus. (more…)
The New Evangelization
At a recent reunion I learned that a classmate from the Catholic school I attended had become a Jehovah’s Witness. Two people came knocking on her door, and she listened to them. Her conversion raised two questions for me: 1) How could she give up the beliefs, the rich traditions, and sacramental benefits of the Catholic faith so easily? I’m wondering if maybe she didn’t really know what she was giving up. Arguably there now are two generations of theologically illiterate Catholics. Did you hear that in the United States after Catholics the next largest “denomination” is Catholics who have left the faith? (more…)
A Prayer Method to Jumpstart Our Spiritual Life
Ash Wednesday. This is an auspicious day to begin blogging. The whole Church is entering Lent, the season intended to be a new spring. We hope to revitalize our spiritual life and strengthen our relationship with God. My goal in writing this blog each week is to be a midwife for others as they try to fulfill these hopes. In the process, I expect that my own spiritual life will grow. (more…)
