That Offends Me!
Christ is risen! He looked at me and said something I never expected: "Conflict is necessary for close friendship and healthy relationships." What? I hated hearing that. In fact, it made me question whether I was trusting the right person with this particular challenge. It was a sticky situation that...
The Living Bread
Christ is risen! There is actually a mental health condition called thanatophobia - the fear of death. This phobia drives those who suffer from this malady to be afraid of doing anything. But, in reality, having anxiety about one's mortality is actually normal in us humans. Why do you think...
I Will Raise Him Up At The Last Day
Christ is risen! "Pie in the Sky thinking is bad!" Well, that's what he insisted was true. He insisted that my claim that we should live our lives with an eternal perspective was wrong because he insisted I would neglect the "right now" for the "Pie in the sky." Even the...
Real Food Saves
Christ is risen! In the church I was raised we just didn't do the Lord's Supper very often. In fact, there are years where I can't remember if we did it at all through a particular year. And that didn't strike me as strange or unusual. After all, it was...
Sort Out Your Priorities
Christ is risen! My mother had a famous saying to me and my brother when we were little. It usually came out when we didn't want to do something like clean our rooms or do other chores. Usually, it was because I either wanted to keep playing or watch TV....
Moms Knew First – Sunday’s Homily
The Dangers of Intoxicated Living
Christ is risen! "Step right up Ladies and Gentlemen, see the most amazing sights you could ever imagine!" You've heard these words before. Carnival barkers trying to get you to spend the money to see the "amazing snake boy, half boy, half-snake!" Or the "amazing Elephant Man." Curiosity, entertainment, something...
Don’t Hide From Yourself
Christ is risen! I come from a generation that was suspicious of tattoos! And the generation before me, forget about it! My grandfather, a lifelong police officer, always said that tattoos were degrading to a man. Wow, some pretty strong words, especially in light of today's generation that consider "body...
How To Avoid Judgement
Christ is risen! One of the oldest manuscripts we have for the earliest days of the Christian Faith outside the Gospels is the Didache or "The Teaching of the 12 Apostles." This ancient writing dates from the First Century A.D. and begins with an intriguing phrase: "There are two ways, one...
Real Communion!
Christ is risen! St. Maximus the Confessor says "Food is not evil, but gluttony is. Childbearing is not evil, but fornication is. Money is not evil, but avarice is. Glory is not evil, but vainglory is. Indeed, there is no evil in existing things, but only in their misuse." So,...