God Gave You

Several months back, I was at an event sponsored by the Athenaeum of Ohio. Even now, I still think about the brief talk that Fr. O’Cinnsealaigh gave that evening. During his talk, he mentioned praying to God about all the pain and hurt and suffering that goes on in the world—from natural disasters to the...

Part of the Gang

Most Sundays at Mass, I have one of the best seats in the house. That’s because I’m in the choir, and in our church, the choir sits behind the altar, facing the assembly. It can be a bit of a nuisance, because you have to think about what you wear (no short skirts!), what you do (not cool to nod off...

Pope Francis: ‘Press on!’

How about that Pope Francis? It seems that every few days there is another interesting news story about how he’s shifting the gears for the way the papacy is exercised. He seems to be leading by example. We all know the drama from his first few weeks. Let’s start with Francis. He was the first pope ever...

“God Needs Me More”

It’s Holy Saturday. The Lenten season is coming to an end as we anticipate the beginning of the Easter season. Today is a day of sadness and joy, both intertwined: a day of mourning for the crucified Christ along with the expectation of his Resurrection. What to say about this? I didn’t know. That...

An Unexpected Ending

Last month, we exhibited at the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress. Though I love attending conventions for Franciscan Media, they also can be quite stressful—especially when you are in charge. It was on Saturday, February 23, that I found myself in a bit of a pickle. I had set up a luncheon for some...

Evangelize Me!

Like many, my mind when kablooey when the term “New Evangelization” popped back into the vernacular a year or so ago. What does it mean? How do we “do it”? And why? Since Vatican II, a renewal of the evangelizing charism has been a part of the Church’s agenda, although somewhat on the back burner....