Religious Education - Children
Catechist BlogHow often…
“How often must I forgive?” Jesus’ answer is “not seven times but seventy-seven times.” This means there is no limit to the number of times we must forgive. He tells a parable about forgiveness, about first of all receiving forgiveness and then in turn forgiving...
A Prophet
A prophetic moment last week in Washington, D.C.: The famed cellist Yo Yo Ma was on his way to the Kennedy Center to rehearse for a performance later that evening. As his car approached the Russian Embassy, the musician aske the driver to stop. Ma got out of the car...
What “owns” us?
Once upon a time, two families came to a rabbi wanting him to settle a dispute about the boundaries of their land. He listened as the first family recounted how they had received the land as their inheritance from their ancestors and how it had been in their family...
Rich and Poor
In today’s Gospel Jesus tells the well-known story of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man is not condemned for having possessions but because he does not hear the cry of the poor. Specifically, he does not see the poor man Lazarus lying at his door. His...
It’s About Service!
James and John are discussing who will be on Jesus’ right and who will be on His left in the Kingdom. What they and their mother do not understand is that standing on either side of Jesus can be quite challenging. To stand on Jesus’ right or left to work in a soup...
Fixing Things
Recently I was teaching grade school children at our parish school. The topic was regarding the 40 Hour Devotion that was coming up in the parish. The children would be participating and so I was asked to let them know a little bit about the history and spirituality...
Covenant
Today’s morning Mass marks the beginning of the parish’s 40 Hour Devotion - and as such today’s readings are taken from the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. There are lots of odd names that appear in the Old Testament. One of them is Melchizedek,...
Jesus doesn’t have a good memory
In 2000, Cardinal Thuan, who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam for thirteen years, nine of which were solitary confinement, preached the Lenten Retreat to the Curia in Rome. During this retreat he spoke about the “defects” of Jesus. The first defect he mentioned was...
Examination of Conscience in Light of Catholic Social Teaching
Life and Dignity of the Human Person Do I respect the life and dignity of every human person from conception through natural death? Do I recognize the face of Christ in all others around me whatever their race, class, age, or abilities? Do I work to protect the...
Being Ready
The Jews wanted Jesus to do something sensational to prove that He really was the anointed one of God. In the year 45 A.D. a man named Theudas arose claiming to be the Messiah. He persuaded people to follow him out to the Jordan with the promise that he would part...