Image credit: pixabay.com “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” — 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV In the wake of any traumatic event or disaster, emotions usually run high among those involved. In my own experiences, I’ve had my own share of vehicle accidents where, in the aftermath, my head was usually overloading with questions. What if I had gone a bit slower? What if I took an… Read more
March 25, 2020
Addressing Fearmongering And Conspiracy Over COVID-19 Outbreak
March 25, 2020 By René Albert
March 20, 2020
Communion In The Hand?
March 20, 2020 By René Albert
For non-Catholics, this article might come across as a bit of an oddity. Most Protestant Christians (with the exception of certain Lutheran and Anglican denominations) believe the Eucharist is merely a symbol and an act of remembrance, though Catholics, Orthodox and certain mainline Protestants believe it is much more than that. While the vast majority of Christian denominations teach that individuals ought to receive Communion in a reverent manner, the method of reverence varies among them. Because Catholics believe the… Read more
March 17, 2020
Coronavirus, Avarice and Human Depravity
March 17, 2020 By René Albert
In Chapter 7 of Elie Wiesel’s novel ‘Night,’ there is a disturbing scene where prisoners of war boarded a train car in Poland on their way to the concentration camps. After they journeyed for days with little to no food and drink, the prisoners were gradually becoming sick and dying. Some would even consume the snow on the ground in an attempt to find some form of nourishment. A few German workmen by the train tracks tossed pieces of bread… Read more
March 12, 2020
A Reflection on the Parable of the Good Samaritan
March 12, 2020 By René Albert
The first week of March was a pretty rough haul for me. In addition to battling sickness, I was assigned to a job site about an hour and a half out of town while the weather was still your typical Albertan winter. The periodic wind gusts exceeding 35 kilometers an hour made finishing the tin roof of an unfinished gazebo a task that required more caution that the usual times I’ve been sent out in the field. As I had… Read more
February 29, 2020
Scripture, Apostolic Succession and the Importance of Foundations
February 29, 2020 By René Albert
“According to the commission of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. Let each man take care how he builds upon it. For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” — 1 Corinthians 3:10-11 RSV As a carpenter, dealing with building foundations is part of my profession. Like a domino effect, a faulty foundation not only affects the framework of… Read more
February 25, 2020
10 Things To Give Up For Lent In 2020
February 25, 2020 By René Albert
It’s that time of year again! Lent is just around the corner! Because the times are changing rapidly, so are the things that affect our daily routines. Instead of coming up with the usual sacrifices for Lent like chocolate, sweets or alcohol, I figured I’d come up with a list that is somewhat less cliched and more up-to-date. Well, sort of. One thing I should clarify is this is only a list of ideas. If anything, it’s easier to stick… Read more
February 23, 2020
A Reflection on Ash Wednesday
February 23, 2020 By René Albert
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“By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” — Genesis 3:19 NRSV In the winter of 2017, a dear friend of mine passed away after losing her battle with cancer, and her funeral happened to land on Ash Wednesday — the first day of the season of Lent. Prior to this I knew it was going to be a busy… Read more
February 18, 2020
OPINION: Uproar Over Role Of Women In Wake Of Querida Amazonia
February 18, 2020 By René Albert
In the wake of the newly released apostolic exhortation Querida Amazonia, outrage seemed to have once again sparked — but this time from both traditionalist and feminist corners of Catholic social media. One side generally believes the document is too ambiguous regarding the ordination of women in the Amazon and is freaking out that not enough is being said to lay the issue to rest on a global scale. Thus, further enabling the eventual possibility of (dun dun dun!!!!) women priests…. Read more
February 7, 2020
Why Would Anybody Need Jesus?
February 7, 2020 By René Albert
As someone who was raised Catholic and spent nearly 12 years as an adult Evangelical, there have been numerous times when I’ve struggled with having faith in God, let alone the existence of Jesus Christ. I had regularly attended Mass in my youth, though the circumstances surrounding my autistic brother’s high sensory difficulties made attending our local parish difficult to accomplish as a family unit. Paired with being frequently bullied in school by even those who attended the same church, I… Read more
February 4, 2020
Christian and Feminist Hypocrisy Over Super Bowl Halftime Show
February 4, 2020 By René Albert
A headline of an article recently published by Catholic media outlet ChurchPOP reads, “Jennifer Lopez Blasphemously Mimics Jesus on Stripper Pole at Super Bowl Halftime Show.” Whether the performance by Shakira and J-Lo was empowering for women or not, I will first point out that misleading headlines such as these are one of the many reasons why the world does not take Christians seriously. The article sets up a false narrative that everyone who outstretches their arms (whether in dance… Read more
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