Did you know that Catholics are still supposed to observe meatless Fridays? What? Didn’t that practice end in the 1960s? Nope, not exactly. It’s seems the rule change was not issued with clarity. Either that, or people heard what they wanted to hear, and the Church was not able to get the misinformation corrected. According to Canon Law (#1250-52) Catholics (who are able) are still expected to fast and abstain from meat on Fridays. However, in 1966, the United States... Read more
Does your home look Catholic? Do you behave like a Catholic? Is your home populated with Catholic reading materials and articles of faith? If not, how do you feed your faith? How do you expect your children to absorb Catholicism and make it their own? This latter question is related to a commonly understood problem in the teaching of reading. Children of poverty often don’t learn to read easily because they have no exposure to or expectations about reading at... Read more
God is good. All the time. God is never bad. Ever. Such a simple concept, isn’t it? If God is All Good, then God can never do anything bad. God will never be part of anything bad. Nonetheless, when people are looking for someone to blame for their troubles, they get angry at God. Let me deal with this anger part first. Okay, on one side is the Almighty, All-Powerful God. On the other side is little ol’ you. Arguing... Read more
At some point in all our lives, each of us needs to ask ourselves the all-important question from Christ that is recorded in Matthew 16:13-15: When Jesus came to the neighborhood of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples this question: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” they replied, “Some say John the Baptizer, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “And you,” he said to them, “who do you say that I am?”... Read more
What is it that we say we believe when we recite the Creed at Mass on Sundays? According to the call-and-response Creed we use at Easter, we believe in: God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered death and was buried, rose again from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father; The Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the... Read more
Where is the tabernacle supposed to be in a Catholic church? This question has come up in my parish since a recent remodeling of our sanctuary resulted in the movement of the tabernacle, followed by quite a kerfuffle! Location, Location, Location The location of the tabernacle is probably taken for granted by most Catholics because the tabernacle seems to be just always there (somewhere). Isn’t it directly behind the altar or off to the side somewhat? Basically, yes. However, there... Read more
Do we need guidance from the Church, or are we just as well off on our own? There are those who say that they don’t need to go to church; they can worship God anywhere. That “anywhere” too often translates into a bass boat out on the lake. While such a setting is certainly a reminder of God’s benevolent gifts and provides inspiration for communing with God, somehow I have my doubts that meaningful prayer is happening there. Repeatedly these... Read more
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