Who comes to mind when you hear the words “the king”? Some may think of Elvis or perhaps Henry VIII or King Arthur. Many kings have been egomaniac tyrants. King David was perhaps the greatest king who ever ruled. He was described as “a man after God’s own heart.”
God promised that through the linage of […]
Does it sometimes seem like you can’t go on anymore with all the stressful things in your life? Rest assured, help is always there with you!
Last year things started out pretty well with my new first grandson getting bigger every day! Of course, In my opinion he is so cute (a proud grandmother’s comment) and […]
Are you one of those people who secretly wish you believed in God? Or are you one of those people who believe in God in an abstract way rather than a personal way? Are you actually doing everything you can to never have an experience of God, while denying that this is what you are […]
We have all heard stories of how people who were afflicted with serious diseases prayed to God and were healed. Despite the fact that many times prayer does not help, in those cases where it was effective this strengthens the faith of those who prayed and further seals their belief that God exists. This is […]
Since the religious terrorism of 9/11 a number of books have appeared by atheists that are staunchly anti-faith and anti-religion, placing many of the evils of modern society at the feet of religion. These include Richard Dawkin’s The God Delusion, Sam Harris’ The End of Faith, Daniel Dennet’s Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural […]
Friulian society was one of superstition, a rural society in which the old traditions, many of them pre-Christian traditions died hard and were completely foreign to the non-Friulian inquisitors. Many of the people in the society were uneducated and sought to explain hard times they encountered through supernatural means, such as witches and the benandanti. […]
Over the years, the hymn Ave Maria has been set to music numerous times. The most famous of those was composed by Franz Schubert. Today, this piece of music is loved and well known around the universe for its simplicity and ability to move practically anyone who hears it. Even when performed only as an […]
Jesus is all about vision.
In John 14:6, one of His classic “I am” statements Jesus said, “I am the way . . . and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Jesus is the way to God, the road ahead, the road not yet taken. There is great anticipation in those thoughts. […]
Historically, songs and music have always been an important part of the idea of worship. Perhaps the reason for this is the ease which songs and music provide in expressing worship. The ability to use songs for worship was recognized early in the history of the Christian faith. It was the apostle Paul who encouraged […]
The idea that man needs God to tell us how to behave morally, to be kind and thoughtful toward our fellow man, to aid others without any promise of benefit to ourselves, is a central tenet of most of the major religions. To emphasize the point, we are told that if we do not obey […]
In the shape of a coin, religious medals are very common part of the Catholic persona and many Catholics own or often wear these items on chains around their neck. The history of practice of wearing religious medals dates back to the early days of the church.
Also known as patron saint medals, the images of […]
One of the most difficult questions for priests, ministers, and theologians to answer is – Why does a kind, compassionate, personal God that answers prayers and looks out for our personal welfare, allow so much evil to occur in the world? This is often called “the problem of evil.” As far back as the fourth […]
Throughout history, the classic Latin hymns have been an important part of the Catholic faith. Two thousand years of musical development have produced a variety of hymns that encompass settings for every imaginable purpose and time. At one time, many of the hymns were quite well known and served as a vibrant part of the […]
To truly be present, we need to be available to the moment with our whole self. This requires not only an act of attention but also an act of integration so that we are drawing upon all parts of ourselves to ‘be with’ another.
When we think in terms of roles in life, we split ourselves […]
It may be difficult for us to imagine how the earth which appears to us to be a solid mass of complexly interrelated parts, can have an intentionality to purify and can be undergoing a process we normally associate with human beings on a spiritual path. And even if it is true of the planetary […]
In an era when politicians must prove they are religious to get elected and the proclamations of their ministers can get them into trouble, when schools are urged to teach creationism, when presidents and main stream movies proclaim the virtues of Intelligent Design, when fundamentalists want to destroy Western civilization in the name of religion, […]
There was once a man and his son going with their Donkey to the market. As they were walking along by its side a neighbor man passed them and said: “You fools, what is a Donkey for but to ride on?”
So the Man put the Boy on the Donkey and they went on their way. […]
I used to cringe at the word, “submission.” Although I love my mother dearly, I will say that she did not do much to teach me what submission really means. She was an eighties woman (aka: a women’s libber). A recent divorcee’, men weren’t exactly on her likeability list. Helen Reddy’s “I am woman, hear […]
The evolution of all life on earth from a single primitive life form is straight forward and fairly easy to understand on the basis of Darwinian principles of mutation and natural selection. However, the question of where the first primitive life form came from is not so easy. Even such notable scientists as Sir Francis […]
What is the meaning of life? And is there just one meaning or many? These are old questions, but still very pertinent to how we function and discover this life that has been gifted to us.
The first question to consider when determining the answer is what the term “meaning” is referring to. Is it referring […]
Are we alone in the universe or is there life on other planets? And perhaps even as close our next door neighbor, the planet Mars?
Mars itself is – because it is further away from our heat source the Sun – a cold desert planet. So far without any signs of life nor liquid water on […]