Parents need to only have a newborn in their house for a few weeks before they hear people say, “Just wait till they are teens!” It is axiomatic in our culture that the teenage years are full of rebellion and strife for the family. I...
“To err is human…to forgive is divine” Alexander Pope (18th century English poet). While it may not be that only the Divine can forgive, we know at least, that it takes a considerable amount of grace, effort and intentional will to...
Adolescent is a Latin word meaning to grow up or nearing maturity. Anyone who actually has an adolescent in their house will be tickled to know that the word is very closely related to alere, another Latin word meaning to eat. Whereas...
One of the many blessings that flow from the Catholic Church’s unswerving stance against divorce – or better, for the permanence of marriage – is that the Catholic theology of marriage has a depth and richness rarely found in Protestant thought,...
We’ve all experienced it. We make plans and nothing seems to go the way that we anticipated. “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry,” is an often repeated quote from the Scottish poet Robert Burns. This expression...
“I killed my child,” the woman whispered in abject anguish as she was blessed with oil. She was not alone in her heartache, as the entire room was overflowing with raw, palpable grief from those brave enough to share their regret from being...
As we begin this New Year, we need to hold on to HOPE, which is both a theological virtue and a psychological reality. This hope of ours draws God's promised future here into the present, to affect our lives today....
In the gospel’s account of the Baptism of the Lord, we hear the Father’s voice, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I delight.” And when we look at Jesus, of course, what’s not to delight in? He’s a chip off the old block in a way...
“Wait for me!” This was an appeal I often made to the other kids as one of the youngest growing up on my street. My cul-de-sac was filled with little rascals chasing one another for a game of tag, or playing baseball where we spray painted...