The Book of Hosea recorded the oracles of a prophet named Hosea in the land of Israel just before Israel is conquered and crushed by the Assyrian armies. In the early chapters we find that Hosea proclaims his message not just by speaking, but through a prophetic action. God tells Hosea to marry a prostitute, and he does. Her name is Gomer. This becomes the backdrop for the messages that are recorded in the book. Hosea seeks out Gomer and... Read more

I am a father! My wife just gave birth to our son. I am so excited and don’t have a lot of energy to write tonight. I thought I would post the prayer I prayed just after he was born: O God, Creator of life, You have again revealed Yourself in the beautiful mystery of birth;thank you for alleviating my wife’s pain and holding Your protecting hand over her durring delivery. Thank You for Your mercy; it was Your power... Read more

This weeks Saint is one beloved by much of the Western church. This week we remember Teresa of Ávila. She is known as one of the greatest mystics in the churches history. As a little girl she fell in love with reading the lives of the saints and ran away from home to search for Martyrdom with her brother. This attempt was foiled by their uncle who brought them home. When she grew older she became a Carmelite nun. In the... Read more

This week’s quote was brought to my attention by one of our new readers: Steve. He has a great Podcast which is where I head it. Thanks Steve! make sure you check out his blog Pithless Thoughts  This quote will rock your world: “A person who suffers bitterly when slighted or insulted should recognize from this that he still harbors the ancient serpent in his breast. If he quietly endures the insult or responds with great humility, he weakens the... Read more

A few days ago we looked at Fr. Barron’s arguments you God that he presents in YouTube videos. Talking about YouTube videos on this webpage is acutally somthing we do quite a great deal. Just look at our “videos” page and you can see just a few of the videos we’ve discussed here. The reason I do this is because I see a great deal of value in what YouTube CAN be used for… The problem is often is is... Read more

Throughout most of Church history the study of scriptures was not undertaken using the historical critical method that is employed by most of the Biblical scholars today. Today most scholars seek to arrive at an understanding of what the author originally intended. However, in the ancient and medieval Church scripture was read for meaning at a basic level, looking for what the text seems to say on the surface, but than also read with the assumption that the text could... Read more

In ancient times there was a commonly held belief by many peoples that gods only had power over certain lands. There might be a god who had power over Chicago, but if you went to Detroit you would have to offer sacrifices to another god. This was certainly the case in the ancient near east, the lands in which the stories of the Bible find their home. In fact one could argue that many near eastern people believed it was... Read more

I recently took a look at a few of Robert Barron’s videos dealing with his basic arguments for believing in God: “Why do we believe in God?” The three answering Christopher Hitchens His response to Bill Maher’s film “Religulous”  his book by the same name  If you don’t know who Robert Barron is you can find out more about him and his ministry at http://www.wordonfire.org/. Robert is a prominent theologian in the catholic church. He is the Francis... Read more

Recently the writings of St. Basil the Great have been coming up in my life. There are few christian writers who cut to the heart of the Christian’s relationship with money and possessions. This commentary on Matt. 19:16-22 cuts deep. Remember this is the story where someone came to Jesus and said “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him … “If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments” … the young man said to him, “I have kept... Read more

Today the Church in the west remembers one of my favorite saints, St. Francis of Assisi. Francis lived in 10th century, and is credited with bringing a wide spread renewal into the Catholic Church that in many ways continues to this very day. If you don’t know who saint Francis is here are some books. Read them! St. Francis was a man who heard the call of God to rebuild God’s church. So he went out and got on his hands... Read more