Learning to be Quick to Listen

Rodney Stark's new book Bearing False Witness: Debunking Centuries of Anti-Catholic History comes out in May of this year and I am very excited to read it. Stark is a sociologist who focuses on religion and is co-director of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University. Here is just one of the issues he addresses in the book. "Instead of the Dark Ages being understood as a millennium of ignorance and backwardness inspired by the Catholic Church’s power, Stark argues that the whole notion of the “Dark Ages” was an act of pride perpetuated by anti-religious intellectuals who were determined to claim that theirs was the era of “Enlightenment.” The blurb describing the upcoming book says, "In the end, readers will not only have a more accurate history of the Catholic Church, they will come to understand why it became unfairly maligned for so long. Bearing False Witness is a compelling and sobering account of how egotism and ideology often work together to give ...

So it's Friday and it's Lent and that means no meat today. But what does that mean? What are we really giving up by eating delicious seafood dishes instead of meat? I choose to focus on the act itself. What we are supposed to be trying to do is emulate Jesus and the suffering that he endured for us. We are reminded of his suffering by participating in another Friday Lenten tradition, the Way of the Cross. Jesus suffered at the hands of his captors repeatedly during his passion and he still suffers because of the things we continue to do on earth. The different now is that we have his saving grace, which he gives freely and without cost. So the act of refraining from eating meat (or anything else we decided to give up for Lent) is to help us remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us. What a loving gift. It reminds us that God is love and everything Jesus did for us was for love. It reminds us that Jesus asks us to love God above all and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Very si...

Are you living for the now or for eternal happiness and joy? If you answered the former, it is time for a U-turn. If you answered the latter, keep on heading down that path.  Our lives are supposed to be centered on joy in the Lord . Pursuing a life that revels in the world and its empty promises may bring you pleasure but the joy you are seeking is from our Father. When you are walking with the Spirit, people are attracted to you and what you have. It is the perfect opportunity to talk about Jesus and his promise of eternal life in Heaven. There are so many stories of the rich and powerful never finding fulfillment.  How many film stars have veered into a life of calamity and ended up alone and sad. Once their god of choice (money, fame, notoriety, etc.) has abandoned them, they find themselves bound by what others think of them. On the other hand, look at the people who chose to do great things, not for themselves, but for others. Through them, Jesus worked to spread his me...

Early reviews suggest a new biblical epic hitting theaters this week is picking up where "The Passion of the Christ" left off. " Risen " tells the story of Jesus' crucifixion through the eyes of Clavius, a Roman military officer who is on a mission to prove the resurrection did not happen. Actor Joseph Fiennes stars as Clavius. "A big attraction for me was the way his mind worked, but to get to his mind I found I had to take a physical route. I went to gladiator school in Rome. I stayed long enough to never want to go back," he told CBN News. "I spent the good part of a week working with a brilliant set of guys, and what I learned from a military standpoint was a way into the man was conditioned and the way that he thought," he said.   Clavius is an ambitious Roman soldier who first tries to keep Christ's body from being stolen after his crucifixion. He then sets out on an angry journey to find the body after it disappears from the s...

If you are planning a trip to Rome to see Pope Francis anytime soon, you should grab a copy of Joan Lewis's book A Holy Year in Rome . Joan gives you the inside scoop on all things Catholic. Listening to her on EWTN radio this morning, she shared that when the Pope comes and goes from Rome, he stops at a specific church and prays. Insider tips like that can make all the difference in a trip to Rome. Also wanted to clarify that some of the media distributed a story saying that Pope Francis said that bishops do not have to report allegations of child abuse. That is actually the complete opposite of what he said. Cardinal O'Malley, head of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which Pope Francis set up in 2014, said "Our obligations under civil law must certainly be followed, but even beyond these civil requirements, we all have a moral and ethical responsibility to report suspected abuse to the civil authorities who are charged with protecting our society....

What are you looking for? Jesus asks Andrew and another disciple that very question (John 1:36). Now John had just explained that Jesus is the promised Lamb of God but all of this was very new to the disciples and even more so for the crowds beginning to gather anytime Jesus preached. He is still asking us this foundational question. Who are you looking for? Very often that who is replaced by a what in our society. What drug will make you feel better? What porn will satisfy you? What amount of money will provide you with all of the things you desire? What food, car, clothes, house, star or idol will bring you what you need? Well the easy answer is none of the above. It might be why so many of us are aimlessly searching. We search for a painless life, free of trouble, hurt, and obligation. As you work your way through the Lenten journey, spend some time thinking about the question that Jesus is asking. Who are you looking for? If it is Jesus, the path is also simple. Kneel and pray righ...

As we begin our Lenten journey towards the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is a good time to be silent. The beauty of the Ash Wednesday Mass helps us to enjoy some quiet from our noisy days. Our church usually gives us a stripped down version of Mass with very little or no music. I love music and consider it prayer in another form but the simplicity of the Ash Wednesday Mass is enhanced, for me, by the quiet. Once you begin your Lenten journey, I encourage you to use St. Ignatius's Spiritual Exercises. There are others as well but I find the Jesuit experience to be the best for me. The exercises are meant to be spent in silence. St. Ignatius used the silence and solitude of recovering from injuries to open himself fully to the Lord. It was in this time, that Ignatius developed the exercises which are still being used today. But just reading about the exercises is not going to do that much for you. Take the time to do the self examens each say. Review the things that occur...

Thousands of people waited hours outside a Rome church to glimpse the mortal remains of St. Padre Pio and St. Leopold Mandic, two Capuchins popular as miracle workers and known particularly for the long hours they would spend hearing confessions. Pope Francis asked the Capuchins to bring the relics of St. Padre Pio and St. Leopold to Rome for the Year of Mercy, particularly the Feb. 10 celebration of Ash Wednesday and the commissioning of the official "missionaries of mercy." The hearse carrying Padre Pio's crystal coffin was about 90 minutes late getting to Rome's Basilica of St. Lawrence Feb. 3 because pockets and clusters of faithful repeatedly forced it to slow down as it drove from San Giovanni Rotondo, 235 miles to the southeast. Posters pasted up all over the center of Rome giving the detailed schedule for Masses, prayer services and other devotions feature a large photo of Padre Pio and a smaller photo of St. Leopold. In the celebrations, St. Leopold ...