Here’s a little piece I wrote a while back for Saint Anthony Messenger. Given that this was the Sunday reading, I thought it appropriate to reprint it here. The story of the woman taken in adultery stands out in Scripture for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it stands out because it is reckoned as Scripture at all. The story doesn’t have a fixed home in the gospels. There is a lot of back and forth in the manuscripts... Read more
You can go here to support the work of Homeboy Industries being as how this is Almsgiving Monday. Read more
No regrets. No apologies. Read more
More penitential suggestions from Deacon Nick, with my commentary as an ordinary lay slobovian making my way through Lent: Read the documents of Vatican II, especially Gaudium et Spes. I’ve been meaning to do this. Read The Catechism of the Catholic Church or The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults. I’ve read large chunks–especially the section on the creed since I’m writing a book on the Creed–but never the whole thing. Sign up for adult formation classes at a local parish. No time for... Read more
of “Which Pope Said This?“: “As the years went by and the Church spread further afield, the exercise of charity became established as one of her essential activities, along with the administration of the sacraments and the proclamation of the word: love for widows and orphans, prisoners, and the sick and needy of every kind, is as essential to her as the ministry of the sacraments and preaching of the Gospel. The Church cannot neglect the service of charity any... Read more
One of the reasons I’ve always appreciated C.S. Lewis is that he understood there was a distinction between God and our words about him and, still more, our arguments for him. Would to God that more of the apologetics subculture (including the author of certain books written by the man married to my wife) internalized the wisdom and humility of his prayer: From all my lame defeats and oh! much more From all the victories that I seemed to score;... Read more
The invaluable blog Where Peter Is offers another invaluable insight–this time into the Chinese Church. American Right Wing Lie Machine coverage has, with monomaniac disinterest in anything but bashing the Holy Father, insistently spoken as though Cardinal Zen is the one and only voice of the Chinese Church. Where Peter Is dares to suggest that there may be more voices than his. With all the attention Cardinal Joseph Zen has been getting with regard to his protests against the China/Vatican deal, most... Read more
Dom Helder Camara famously remarked, “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.” G.K. Chesterton remarked on the same reality when he talked about the necessity of a living wage; An honest man falls in love with an honest woman; he wishes, therefore to marry her, to be the father of her children, to secure her and himself. All systems of government... Read more
You’re welcome! Read more
More fasting ideas cribbed from Deacon Nick Senger with comments from Yr Obdt Svt: Each week, write a letter of thanks to a different member of the clergy, beginning with your bishop and parish priest. I spend all day writing. I think I’ll pass on this. Each week write a thank-you note to your parents. I send my thank yous to Mom and Dad via prayer. I need to do that more often though. Write a poem of praise for... Read more
Catholic and Enjoying It!
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In