Winning with Prayer

Last updated on: March 12, 2022 at 9:13 pm By Lois Kerschen

Most Catholics have heard the title “Our Lady of Victory” applied to the Blessed Mother. However, probably few know the story behind this name, yet it involves an important event in history: the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571. From 1299-1923, the Ottoman Empire ruled over much of Southeastern Europe, Western Asia, and Northern Africa. In the 16th century, the Ottoman Turks controlled commerce in the Mediterranean Sea and regularly raided the coast of Italy. When this Muslim dynasty... Read more

Lenten Adjustments: Sacrifices and Benefits

Last updated on: March 7, 2022 at 8:54 pm By Lois Kerschen

Lent has begun. We’ve observed Ash Wednesday and the first Sunday of Lent with six more Sundays and most of the 40 weekdays to go until Easter. That means six more meatless Fridays to go. Once again, however, I am hearing my senior citizen friends say, “Not me! I’m exempt.” No, you are not. The Church’s rule is that seniors do not have to fast on Ash Wednesday or Good Friday, but they do have to abstain on Fridays throughout... Read more

Suicide Prevention through Faith

Last updated on: March 3, 2022 at 10:02 pm By Lois Kerschen

The suicide rate in America is so alarming that it often makes headline news. We all need to be concerned about halting this self-destructive trend. How? By using the preventive tools we have as Catholics living the faith. A discussion of suicide needs to include both risk factors and protective factors. The risk factors include despair, stress, depression, mental illness, and others. A complete list can be found on the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s website at https://afsp.org/ These risk... Read more

Science and God: An Inseparable Relationship

Last updated on: February 28, 2022 at 10:11 pm By Lois Kerschen

It is commonly believed that more intelligent, better-educated people are less religious. However, statistics don’t necessarily verify that notion, and great intellects throughout the ages have been people of faith. Surveys of American adults concerning religion reveal some odd results. While people with college or graduate degrees tend to be less religious in terms of believing in God, praying, and finding religion to be important to them, at the same time, people with higher education attend religious services as often... Read more

Men at Mass: A Disturbing Absence

Last updated on: February 25, 2022 at 5:09 pm By Lois Kerschen

It doesn’t take any great powers of observation to notice that there are many more women than men in church on any given Sunday. Why is that? If we want more Catholic men at Mass, what can we do? How important is it for men to attend church? There are a number of possible answers to the “Why” question. Machoism plays a role—church is only for boys and old men; grown men are too self-reliant for church. Also, today’s secular... Read more

The Development of Doctrine: Incremental Understanding

Last updated on: February 22, 2022 at 10:40 pm By Lois Kerschen

Why do people join a Bible study? Obviously, to learn more about the teachings of the Bible! Why do theologians continuously study the Bible? Same answer: to learn more about the teachings of the Bible! Gee, after nearly 2000 years of New Testament study, and several hundred years of Old Testament study before that (which continues today), haven’t we just about exhausted all there is to learn? In a word: No! That’s not only because we can never fully understand... Read more

Palliative Care: The Way to Die

Last updated on: February 19, 2022 at 7:51 pm By Lois Kerschen

Legislatures around the world are increasingly passing bills that allow for euthanasia and assisted suicide. This is a trend that Catholics must resist, and we can do so by educating ourselves and others about palliative care. Allow me to recommend an excellent book on this subject: That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour, written by Dr. Sunita Puri (2019). This book is not technical or academic. It is biographical, easy-to-read and a fascinating meditation on Dr. Puri’s... Read more

Catholics and the Bible

Last updated on: February 16, 2022 at 6:44 pm By Lois Kerschen

There are some people who think Catholics are not Christians. I don’t know how they come to that conclusion, but an equally outrageous notion is that Catholics don’t read the Bible. When we lived in Bible-belt country, on occasion I would hear Christian people emphasize that they went to a Bible-based church. I thought, “What other kind of base could there be?” I suppose they could have been comparing their churches to those offbeat religions that blend Western and Eastern... Read more

What About the Miracles?

Last updated on: February 13, 2022 at 3:47 pm By Lois Kerschen

We all have moments of doubt, maybe even long periods of doubt about the existence of God and the truth of Christianity. What keeps me believing, though, are the miracles. If there are miracles, there has to be a God. Sometimes Christianity and the existence of God seems so silly. Some unseen, almighty being created and controls everything? What a laugh! That’s okay for ignorant primitives trying to explain natural phenomena, but not educated people. Let’s get real about that... Read more

A Course in Pro-Life Feminism

Last updated on: February 10, 2022 at 7:24 pm By Lois Kerschen

There is a serious need to teach pro-life feminism. As we approach potentially profound changes in abortion laws and the inevitable cultural upheaval, we need to correct the misconceptions about what helps women achieve equality. One way to answer this need is to develop a college-level course (or courses) in pro-life feminism. Perhaps if we create courses in pro-life feminist history, women’s bodies, political activism, and related studies, there could be a minor in pro-life feminism. A college course would... Read more

What does James say we should be quick to do and slow to do?