Celebrating Black History Month
February 1, 2023
Celebrating a World Church
In the 1957-58 school year, I was in the fifth grade at St. Joseph School in Howell, Michigan. Each Lent the Holy Childhood Association had a program to collect money to support a newly baptized Catholic child in some missionary country. I could be wrong on this, but I think the cost was $5.00. In our classroom, boys and girls competed to see which group could raise more money. The US/mission country divide was very clear.
The Guiding Light of Spiritual Doubt
You’ve probably heard the phrase “Doubting Thomas.” The phrase’s origins hearken back to John’s Gospel, where, after Christ’s resurrection, Jesus’s disciples say to Thomas, “We have seen the Lord,” to which Thomas responds, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
We Are Rich Soil for God's Word
All of us are invited to be rich soil for God’s word, and all of us have become rich soil in baptism. All of us have heard God’s word in Scripture, in nature, in prayer, and all of us experience intimacy with God, especially in the sacraments (the external signs of a deep, interior reality). What makes the difference is both in the fullness of our response and in the level of consciousness of what is really going on within us. The kingdom of heaven is already within and around us, but because of our often lukewarm response of heart and action, we don’t have eyes to see or ears to hear.