You Are The Light Of The World One of the images pertaining to discipleship is Matthew is the imagery of salt and light. This is found in Mt. 5:13-16 which states, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a... Read more
The Call Of The First Disciples This theme of what it means to be a follower of Christ, or disciple, starts very early in Matthew’s account. In the fourth chapter of his Gospel he gives an account of the call of the first disciples. The passage in question in Mt. 4:18-22 which states, “While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for... Read more
Sunday mornings can be chaotic even for the most cheerful and organized households. As a parent of four, there are some Sundays that it is difficult for me to get the entire family ready to exit the house, let alone prepare for Mass. There are a few things that can be done, if even the night before, to help the Holy Spirit prepare the hearts of our family. Doing even one of these will pass on the importance of the... Read more
The Gospel of Matthew is often read as it is one of the two Gospels that contains an infancy narrative of Christ. Though this holds great significance, there are many other pieces of the Gospel that give us clues on how to live a life of discipleship. In fact, within Matthew’s account we see many scenarios of what it means to live the Christian life. By the tone of the writing one gets the impression that these events were either... Read more
Over the course of our lives we will be faced with many difficult decisions. These decisions may be life altering and may change us forever. In the encyclical Veritatis Splendor, Saint Pope John Paul II writes, “Acting is morally good when the choices of freedom are in conformity with man’s true good and thus express the voluntary ordering of the person towards his ultimate end: God himself, the supreme good in whom man finds his full and perfect happiness”. In... Read more
In sacred scripture, we read that man was created he had a perfect relationship with God. Man is the pinnacle of creation. God gave man everything. In return the Lord asked man not to each of one tree in the garden. Man did not listen, rebelled, and had to face the consequences of sin for the first time. The sin of our first parents also applies to us. We all have sinned, and the penalty for that sin is death. ... Read more
Many say that the Trinity is complex and is some regard they are right. The concept is one that baffles the mind, and some find it unbelievable. The fact that our finite minds are not able to fully grasp it is intriguing. It makes sense really because if we can fully understand the nature of God then there is a problem. Perhaps we have made a god in our own image at that point. One we can fully understand, but... Read more
Suicide impacts everyone. There is a suicide in the United States every twelve minutes, and it is the tenth leading cause of death! Why one would resort suicide is a matter of debate and there is hardly a cut and dry scenario to pull from. Not to mention: Christians are not immune to it. A few months ago an evangelical pastor Jarrid Wilson took his own life. Wilson was a mental health advocate and very open with his struggle with... Read more
It happens every day in our communities. Every day women make a very difficult decision about whether to keep their babies or not. However, instead of adoption many are choosing abortion. According to data from the Centers of Disease Control, every day approximately 1,788 pregnancies are ended by abortion. What is abortion? What is the official Catholic Church teaching on abortion? Are there any circumstances where an abortion may be needed to save the life of the mother? These questions... Read more
I have noticed a disturbing trend on social media lately. Perhaps it has been around for some time, but some Catholics are telling people to miss Mass of they are unable to attend one in Latin. Let me be clear. I have nothing against the Latin Mass and find it to be incredibly moving and reverent, but telling someone to intentionally miss Mass is to advocate for mortal sin. Yes there are liberties and various abuses out there, but does... Read more
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