By Fr Jason Smith
A few weeks back I was hearing confessions in an old, cold, and rather uncomfortable confessional, the kind that our forefathers once used with a screen and two wooden doors, one on either side, so that the priest can slide them closed and the person on the right can’t hear what the person on the left is saying, or vice versa. More…
In the description for the original video on Youtube, Lacy Buchanan wrote, “This is my plea to anyone considering abortion. Rethink your decision, no matter the circumstances. I am so glad I chose life!”
Fr Jason Smith
Words are not the only way we communicate, the body itself speaks a language.
A smile is, for example, one of the most obvious and effective means of non-verbal communication. It is so important Dale Carnegie notes that:
The expression worn on your face is far more important than the clothes worn on your back.
Eye contact is another powerful means of non-verbal communication. We use phrases that show this such as ‘He had that gleam in his eye’, ‘If looks could kill…’, ‘She gave an icy stare’, ‘He gave me the evil eye’, or my all time favorite, ‘He married her for her looks, but not the one’s she’s been giving him lately.’
Today’s Solemnity, commemorating the Incarnation of God the Son, falls on a specifically chosen date, March 25th, because it is exactly 9 months before December 25, when we celebrate our Savior’s birth. Since this event marks a crucial moment in Salvation History, we should think of it as being a window during Lent. Today we can freeze time, peer into eternity, and contemplate the mysteries of Christ, together with the Church and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
As more and more public figures speak out against Christianity and promote values that go against Christian faith and morals, I always find it refreshing when celebrities talk candidly about their faith in Christ on camera.
U2 front man Bono has always been upfront on 2 things about himself. He’s not perfect and he’s a follower of Christ. More…
People have one track minds, God wants us to see the big picture.
As I was reading the part about “Living Water” in today’s Gospel reading (John 4:5-42), I was reminded of something interesting. When I teach Baptism preparation classes, at one point I address the topic of the symbolism of water. I ask them, More…
By Fr Jason Smith
I have found no better representation of conversion and penance in art than The Penitent Magdalene, by George de la Tour. Though simple, it expresses the essential elements behind every conversion, and we can find in it powerful lessons to apply to our own life. Let’s take a closer look.
The Penitent Magdalen, George de la Tour
By Fr José LaBoy
I’m always surprised when I see those food products with the labels stating what would seem to be the obvious. Take a carton of milk, for example, where the label says it contains “real” milk. What is it suppose to contain? Not so obvious I guess. In a consumeristic society you can’t always expect that you are really getting what you think you are buying.
Got Faith? More…
Fr Jose LaBoy
In the confessional and when dealing with married couples I find mainly two attitudes in Catholics who use contraceptives. One is that of weakness, there is knowledge of the evil of contraception, but the circumstances of life become a justification for using contraceptives in order to avoid pregnancy. Another attitude is to think that it is not intrinsically evil. Some think it is wrong but not a grave sin, others don’t think it is wrong at all. More…
By Br Eric Wandrey
About seven miles off western coast of Ireland, a lonely island looms out of the sea, the tip of a massive oceanic mountain. 54 acres and 715 feet high, Skellig Michael is home only to a colony of Northern Gannets, but there was a time when this remote outcropping hosted more than seabirds. For over 600 years, it was home to Irish monks who sought complete solitude and close communion with God. More…
Biltrix 