Family
« Previous EntriesWhat Does Marriage Mean?
Wednesday, July 18th, 2012In order to grasp the full meaning and power of marriage, we must understand why man was created. Reading the first paragraph of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we learn: “God, infinitely perfect and blessed in Himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed [...]
Sts. Anne and Joachim, pray for us!
Tuesday, July 26th, 2011On the feast of Sts. Joachim and Ann, the parents of the Blessed Mother and grandparents of Jesus, we pray with the whole Church: “God of our fathers, you gave Saints Joachim and Ann the privilege of being the parents of Mary, the mother of your Incarnate Son. May their prayers help us to attain [...]
This Lent, What Are You Cooking?
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010One of my colleagues reminded me about Fr. Leo Patalinghug of Grace Before Meals and his liturgically-colored sauces. Here’s his Burgandy Sauce–a meat sauce in the liturgical color of purple–perfect for Lent and Advent. (Not to be eaten on Fridays in Lent, he adds!) Grace Before Meals stresses the importance of family meals–”A family that [...]
Sex, Violence, Teens, and the Media
Thursday, December 18th, 2008We’ve long suspected it. With some common sense and observation, you might come to a similar conclusion: The media can–and does–negatively affect our children. (I’m reminded of the TV show my parents let me and my siblings watch–until they realized that we were picking up bad habits from the way the children on the show [...]
Are Children’s Masses Appropriate?
Friday, October 3rd, 2008According to a recent Catholic World News story, the “Vatican intends to remove the Eucharistic Prayers for Children from the authorized prayers of the Roman Missal.” The article continues: Bishop Arthur Serratelli of Paterson, New Jersey, the chairman of the US bishops’ liturgy committee, has disclosed the Vatican plans in a letter to the American bishops. [...]
Parents as First Bible Study Leaders
Wednesday, June 18th, 2008One of my favorite sections of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is nos. 2221-31, which magnificently sets forth the duties of parents toward their children. I often mess things up in practice, but after prayerful reading of the Catechism there should be little doubt as to the theory: As parents we are called to [...]
Protecting the Sheep
Monday, June 16th, 2008As the pastor of my domestic Church, I must admit that we don’t have any pews or bells. We do, however, have areas set aside in our home for prayer, and we have adorned our home with crucifixes, Catholic art, holy water fonts, and the like, which serve as helpful reminders of our family’s Catholic identity. Even [...]
Novice Training
Wednesday, May 7th, 2008One of the hallmarks of the Church in our age is the renewed emphasis on the role of the laity. Drawing upon the rich, traditional teaching of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), the Church reminds the laity that all of us are called to holiness by virtue of our Baptism, and we are all called to [...]
School Choices
Friday, March 28th, 2008When I was growing up in the 1960s and ’70s, Catholic education didn’t seem all that complicated. Like most of the other kids from St. Elizabeth parish, I attended the parochial elementary school for eight years and then went to one of the Catholic high schools in the area. Now, as the father of six [...]
Dare to Discipline
Thursday, February 21st, 2008I used to listen to a talk radio host who would say, “In the department store of life, sports is, after all, the toy department.” Surely that’s a useful message for us “weekend warriors.” But let’s take that comment a step further. In the department store of life, is our faith merely a department–and a [...]
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