In the 21st century, the Church is reaching out to all people and looking to the future.
Vatican Council II
This council, held between 1962 and 1965, revitalized Church practices, calling for liturgical reform and ecumenical (interfaith) dialogue - a challenge...
Did you dye eggs for Easter? Do you know that eggs are symbols of life and rebirth? "Rolling" them on laws recalls rolling aside the stone from Jesus' tomb. As a reminder of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, many families...
My wife died. Can I still talk with her?
When someone we love dies, the world is changed forever. We usually feel a mixture of emotions, including sadness that we can no longer see them or do many of the...
From the 17th through the 19th centuries, a new spiritual energy resulted from reform. This energy sustained the Church in a rapidly changing world.
Pervasive changes brought about continuing challenges. For example:
Doctrine disputes within the Church contributed to religious...
Jesus shared an uncomfortable historical truth: namely, that at two moments in history, God sent his prophets to others and not to his chosen people. It's right there in the Scriptures. But instead of taking these reminders to heart...
What is the Holy Spirit like?
When I was in school, I learned a lot about the Holy Spirit. For example, l learned that the Holy Spirit:
Is the third person in the Trinity
Was experienced in a powerful way...
In the 16th century, after having been the Church of the western world for over 1,000 years, Catholicism faced a great crisis and challenge.
The Reformation
Several main religious groups, under individual leaders, split from the Roman Catholic Church...
Christ is Risen!!
For many years, Christians greeted each other this way all through the Easter season. "Christ is risen," one would say. Another would respond, "Christ has indeed risen. Alleluia!" What a beautiful, joyful thing to say! Why don...
Did Adam and Eve really exist? Is the Bible true?
Someone once gave us these words of wisdom: "Every story in the Bible is true; some of them even happened that way." What that means is that yes, every story...
The 15th century was an age of reformers, writers and individualists. It was a time of:
New Culture
There was a rebirth of interest in classical Greek and Roman culture. Popes patronized the arts. During this period, Michelangelo painted the...
A bowl that once belonged to my mother sits on a table in my living room. Look closely and you will see a crack down the middle, from years ago when a baseball made contact. I've been tempted to...
Is it a sin to get angry?
In the Bible, Jesus himself got angry, so anger itself is not a sin. Perhaps-as was true for Jesus-if we are angry at something that is unjust, our anger might help...
During the 11th through 14th centuries, Church control was united and centralized in Rome. This brought both power and problems to the Church.
A united community of faith, during this period
Universities were established to provide education and spread the...
The great thing about signs - billboards ads, traffic signals, garage sale posters - is that they work hard to catch your eye with minimal effort from us. We give bonus points to signs that are clever or entertaining. So here comes...
My grandmother dies last week. Was that God's idea? I ask because people say, "God never sends more than you can handle."
First, please accept my sympathy at your grandmother's death. When someone we love dies, the world...
The first 5 centuries of Christianity were a time of steady growth for the Church.
1st to 3rd centuries, AD:
The First Christians
Early Christian communities were firmly united, but organization was minimal. Their primary work was missionary - sharing the...
We teach kids to forgive, but we adults sometimes need refresher courses. Here's a quick one: a real apology doesn't use passive aggressive statements like, "I'm sorry you feel that way." It avoids the word "but," as...
My husband is out of work and we have been fighting. I am afraid of the way things are going and don't know how to pray. Can you help?
For everyone, life is sometimes sad and scary. It might...
The New Testament accounts trace the origin of the Church of Jesus and the Apostles.
Jesus urged the 12 Apostles to carry on His work and teachings. He instructed them by:
Explaining His teachings and parables to them.
Having them...
When I go to Confession, I disguise my voice because I am embarrassed. What can I do?
Certainly it is appropriate to feel sorry for the wrong we've done and the good we've failed to do. But we...