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Sacraments
Tips to make going to confession seem less intimidating
Let’s face it, there are plenty of us who could stand to go to confession more often. And we have a duty to receive the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. According to the Church’s command, “after having attained the age of…
Answering God’s Call in the Second Half of Life
Looking back, Fr. Philip Luebbert, 63, had always known that God was calling him to the priesthood, but health problems and indecision amidst a rapidly changing Church delayed his ordination until the age of 60. Fr. Luebbert…
It takes three to get married … literally
Living in today’s culture and wanting anything lasting can feel like a movie that should star Tom Cruise, #MissionImpossible. In today’s generation, hookups, cohabitation, and swiping left or right are in superabundance, while…
Five Scripture verses about the Eucharist
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) is June 18 this year. Many parishes will host Corpus Christi processions. In Rome, Pope Francis will celebrate a 7 p.m. Mass at the Basilica of St. John Lateran;…
Your child’s first Holy Communion and confession shouldn’t be their last
The statistics are sobering. According to a study published in 2015 by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University: Only 22 percent of Catholic parents are attending Mass weekly or more often. 68 percent of…
That green light is on
For those of us old enough to remember, the saying “Mass on Sunday — confession on Saturday” is, in large measure, no longer true for many Catholics. But prior to the Second Vatican Council, this was the way the sacraments worked; there…
Happily ever after
I tell my son he must obey the Church’s laws concerning marriage. But he will do it his own way, I guess. His eyes turn steely when I start to cry. That’s his Army training. Emotions shut him down. All my kids heard the story of how…
A former evangelical discovers why we need the sacraments
I’ll never confess my sins to some man!” I spouted off a bit too forcefully to a Catholic friend. We were discussing what we believed was important for salvation. “I have my Bible and Jesus, and I confess my sins directly to him,” I…
Corpus Christi: An opportunity to carry the Living Christ out into the world
Although it is popular parlance to describe certain events or places as heaven on earth, I find this to be a hard sell. After all, the world can be a cruel and unforgiving place, populated with many who detest the very idea of heaven, life…
The shepherds of ordinary times
In these weeks when spring gives way to summer, many celebrate the ordinations of new priests — new shepherds who, in these difficult days, commit the rest of their lives to the sacred service of God and the people of God. It is also the…