Someone asked me the other day why I have a crucifix on my desk, just below the computer screen. My answer was quite simple "It keeps me headed in the right direction ". Of course it also performs other functions as well. It reminds me of the fact that Jesus died so we all can live. …
Pain and Suffering Part 2
As if there isn't enough pain and suffering in the world, let me write another blog post to bring some more into it. I want to continue my theme from two posts ago where I began talking about pain and suffering and whether or not God is responsible for it. In part 1 we pretty …
RCIA: Understanding the Catechism
As I have written about previously I have become a co-catechist for the RCIA program at my parish. The program began Sunday although I am still getting my feet wet. I was thinking this morning that it might be a good idea to use this forum to answer questions that have arisen from the participants. …
Pain and Suffering – Part 1
Today I am going to write about a subject I usually keep to myself - Pain and Suffering. Not the pain and suffering of others or even of the world in general, but my own. I am not sure I have talked about it here before, maybe a long time ago, but I was diagnosed …
The Truth Will Set Us Free
Every once in a while I will come across something that just strikes me in a certain way. Whether it is a passage from Scripture or a line from one of the thousand other things I seem to always be reading. Today it is a line from the Book of Proverbs. The justice of the …
And Now Some Joyful Noise
I realize my last few posts have been a little on the somber and serious side, so today I decided to lighten up the mood. I actually got this idea while at Mass this morning. Did any of you realize the church was at the forefront of text message shorthand hundreds of years ago? I'm …
To whom shall we go
This clergy abuse scandal rearing its ugly head again is really messing me up. I have finally become somewhat comfortable with being Catholic again, one of the reasons I left the church was the Boston scandal, and now we have another one. In my last post, I talked about how I am going to deal …
Enough is enough
One of the biggest obstacles I faced when I began my journey back to the church was that of the "Clergy Abuse" crisis. How could I believe in an institution that covers up severe wrongdoing by those who we are supposed to trust? According to the Catholic Church, they are the absolute moral authority. We …
Thou Shalt Not Kill
Since beginning my journey back to the Catholic faith, there have been many times when I have questioned the teachings of the Church. Even though I question them after researching them and thinking about them I find myself agreeing with the Church's position. One of these questions involved the death penalty. Prior to this week, …
The More Things Change
The more they stay the same. I've found myself doing more and more reading lately, really getting into various Papal documents, things like encyclicals and exhortations. One of these is fairly recent, "Evangelii Gaudium" or "The Joy of the Gospel" written by Pope Francis. I get my copies through Verbum.com but you can get them …
The Wayward Catholic 