The Cordial Catholic - Page 4 of 23 - Cordially explaining the Catholic faith.

How Many Times Do We Have to Go to Church this Christmas?

December 17, 2017 By K. Albert Little

Because of the wackiness that is this year’s liturgical calendar many Catholics in North America are scratching their hands, trying to figure out exactly how many times they need to be at church this upcoming Christmas Weekend. Or, rather, trying to determine exactly how to get out of it. Unfortunately, for the latter group, the answer isn’t very encouraging: basically, twice. You have to be at church twice. And, in some cases, it might even be twice on the same day…. Read more

Why Do Catholics Kiss the Pope’s Ring?

December 16, 2017 By K. Albert Little

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The Catholic Church, sprawled across every corner of the globe, is full of some truly bizarre customs and traditions. Understanding why we do what, what it means, and how to explain it to others can often be fundamental to sharing our faith—and to appreciating it deeper. The custom of kissing the Pope’s ring, of sometimes kneeling down before him or bowing, is one of those strange habits that we Catholics do and in a society increasingly blurring the lines between… Read more

How to Explain Purgatory to Everyone

October 17, 2017 By K. Albert Little

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One of the most responding, human impulses that St. Paul describes in his letters to the early churches is the idea of wanting to do what he doesn’t do. “For what I want to do, I do not do,” Paul writes in his letter to the Romans. In this, Paul captures something so profound that scholars and poets alike have spent the last two millennia working to unpack it. The want to do something other than what we do and, sometimes, the mere want… Read more

Let Me Explain Why I Love All This Catholic In-Fighting, OK?

October 2, 2017 By K. Albert Little

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As an Evangelical convert to Catholicism, I love all this in-fighting. Let me explain. Read more

The Catholic Church Makes Sense, Because I Don’t Know Best

September 27, 2017 By K. Albert Little

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One of the incredible gifts of becoming a Catholic is knowing that my theology, what I believe, has been figured out by people much smarter than I am over thousands of years. Read more

I Have the Laziest Prayer Life Ever (and It’s Awesome!)

September 18, 2017 By K. Albert Little

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One of the enormous graces of becoming Catholic has been exposure to a whole new world of prayer–specifically, the Liturgy of the Hours. Read more

The Reformation Was Stupid

September 11, 2017 By K. Albert Little

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How we understand our own history shapes almost everything about how we live out our faith today. Read more

We Don’t Need No Nashville Statement

September 5, 2017 By K. Albert Little

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If your Facebook news feed is anything like mine then its been busting at the seams these days with discussion about the Nashville Statement. For our purposes here it’s contents really aren’t relevant. There are those that oppose it and those that approve and these discussions will rage on, at least for a little bit longer, and then probably peter out. But, at its core, both proponents and those opposed are desperate, it seems, for one thing: unity. Because whether you… Read more

The Incredible Impact of the Smallest Acts of Kindness

July 12, 2017 By K. Albert Little

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If you’ve ever been to Costco with a toddler you probably know the routine. When the clerk checks your receipt against the items your cart at the exit doors they’ll often warmly greet your little munchkin, flip over your receipt, and draw a smiley face with their marker on the back. It’s a small reward for surviving the often apocalyptic shopping experience that is Costco with a toddler, but it’s impact can be much, much greater than that. And today,… Read more

How I’m Learning to Stop Being Angry

July 6, 2017 By K. Albert Little

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I was recently on a breakfast date with our two-year old son when I spilled coffee all down the front of my shirt. As we navigated towards the back of the crowded coffee shop, coffee in one hand, toddler connected to the other, we encountered a particularly challenging obstacle blocking our path. A man, resplendent with laptop, tablet, phone and briefcase spread all over, and around, a four-person table cluster. Blocking our way. With toddler in tow I tried to get carefully… Read more