As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:18-19…
To one without faith, no explanation is possible.
To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible. St. Thomas Aquinas This is probably the most popular St. Thomas Aquinas quote on faith. To me, it says we teach too much. I’m as guilty as anyone. I’m a trained teacher. I love teaching. I’ve got years…
Two Ways to Fix the Mass Attendance Problem (and the One Way that Works)
(source: pewforum.org) The Catholic Church has a mass attendance problem–some would say a crisis. Less than a quarter of Catholics in the United States attend Mass on a weekly basis. The question I have is: how do we go about fixing the problem? And further, is what we’re doing now working? In general, it…
Four Writing Lessons from the Patron Saint of Writers
Today is the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of writers. This morning I was rummaging through my digital copy of his biography, The Spirit of St. Francis de Sales, when I came across an incredible story about the publication of his landmark book. St. Francis de Sales was a bishop and a…
Evangelization and Social Justice: You Can’t Have One Without the Other
I dream of a “missionary option”, that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation. Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, 27 Yesterday, inspired by the great work…
