One of the worst things you can call someone in today’s world is a sheep. Today the word connotes someone without an identity who follows a crowd of other like-minded sheep. But 2000 years ago, a man identified his followers…
The readings for this Sunday’s mass have all the makings of a Charlie Chaplin comedy starring his “Little Tramp.” The basis of comedy is contrast and conflict, and the mission of spreading God’s word is filled with both. This is…
An article about the benefits of swearing in the workplace was posted on LinkedIn recently. Many who read the piece applauded its message: that foul language can sharpen important points and is actually a sign of intelligence. But people of…
Imprinting is a 20th century psychological concept with scriptural implications. In clinical examples of this theory, newly hatched ducks were shown to form attachments with the first large moving object they see. Scholars say this attachment is innate and programmed genetically. They…
This cry of terror came from the disciples in whose storm-buffeted boat slept their Savior. For 21st century disciples requiring a piece of scripture relevant to their lives, this is it. This gospel is aimed at anyone overwhelmed by fear.…
As a Eucharistic minister, I can attest to the restorative power of prayer we bring with us—whether spoken from scripture or straight from one’s heart. We visit mostly older people who can no longer visit their church to pray and…
“Street Gang,” a documentary about the origins of the children’s show, Sesame Street, inspired a fantasy in the mind of the child within me. The film tells its audience that the show’s purpose from the beginning was to depict characters…
If we had relied on Moses and the Old Testament prophets and even Jesus’ New Testament disciples to spread the word of God under their own power, not a letter of it would have reached 21st century humans. They started…
When I was growing up, my grandparents’ house in North Royalton, Ohio seemed immense—especially for the few souls living there. And, indeed, it was a large house situated on the 12 acres of land it shared with an apple tree…
Scripture repeatedly depicts the relationship between God and his people as that between a bridegroom and his bride. In such a relationship, the lovers devote their lives to each other, sharing in each other’s joy and grief. It’s the perfect…