Faith

At a conference my sister met a missionary who was working with people in the jungles of Southeast Asia. The atheist government there had banned all foreigners. They had especially banned religious workers from having contact with the…

When the weather starts to turn warmer, a great event typically takes place in my house — spring cleaning. With the windows wide open to let the fresh air blow through the house, I clean, scrub, organize, donate, and simplify my home where…

“Michael,” I shouted, “your time’s up! Come out of there!” My frustration was building as I stood in front of the inflated carnival castle filled with small children jumping and bouncing to their hearts’ delight. My 3-year-old son, Michael,…

It’s an image and moment of Good Friday I’ll never forget. More poignantly, it’s the sound that still resonates in my mind and heart more than a decade later. I took an extended break — longer than I probably should have — that particular…

Around this time of year, I love to remind everybody of the stunning metaphysical similarities between the Exodus narrative and the passion, death, and Resurrection of Christ. Tell the truth: you groaned a little when you read that. It is…

Beginning with Sunday Mass, there are countless ways to get in touch with the Church’s spirit of Lent. There are plenty of opportunities to engage in prayer, fasting, and charity. Here are some activities you can use to enter into the…

Why do we pray for the dead? And how do we pray for the dead? I think a lot about these questions and hope you can give me some insight. - S.P., Connecticut These are good questions, shared by many others, and they touch upon a long…

We interrupt this Eastern Rite calendar to bring you St. Joseph. Why? Because St. Joseph (feast day March 19 on the Western calendar, patron of the universal Church) does not have a separate feast day on the Eastern calendar. This may lead…

There was always one kid in catechism class who raised his hand and asked if he could give up homework for Lent. I was not that kid. I dug deep to find the thing whose absence would most torture me — usually chocolate. As an adult, I gave…

Last year was the first year in my entire life that I took the time to understand that Lent is a time to change your life for God, not sacrifice things you like such as coffee or candy. It’s that simple. It’s about using your time and…